...•-v.-.--.-.>.  z^iy. 


BX   8713  .B8 

Bush,  George,  1796-1859. 
New  church  miscellanies 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/newchurchmiscellOObush 


NEW  CHURCH  MISCELLANIES; 


OR, 

ESSAYS 

ECCLESIASTICAL,  DOCTRINAL  AND  ETHICAL. 
BY  GEORGE  BUSH  . 

[Republished  from  the  Xew  Church  Repository.] 

Mm-^ixk : 

WM.  McGEORGE,  No.  47  BIBLE  HOUSE. 
Boston:  Otis  Clapp;  Philadelphia:  Bcerick  &  Tafel  ; 
London:  Wm.  White. 

1855. 


JOHN  P.  PRALL,  PRINTER, 
-NO.  9  SPRUCE-ST.  N.  V. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB. 

The  Priesthood  and  the  Kingship,  5 

Preaching,  69 

The  Ministry,  82 

The  N.  J.  Magazine  and  the  N.  C.  Ministry,  -  -  103 
N.  C.  Organization  and  Government,  ....  120 
A  Trained  and  Professional  Clergy,  -  •  .  146 
The  Party  of  Order  and  the  Party  of  Liberty,  -  -  157 
Aphorisms  on  Slavery  and  Abolition,        ...  165 

Pseudo-Spiritualism,  239 

Sleep,  289 

The  N.  C.  System  referable  solely  to  a  Divine  Origin,  314 
Swedenborg  and  Paul,  369 


ERRATA. 


On  page  346,  ninth  line  from  bottom,  for  "  spiritual  illumined,"  read  "spirit- 
ual illuminees." 

On  page  354,  ninth  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "remorseless"  read  "re- 
morseful." 


ntCJUN  1 8b  J 

THKOLOGICAI. 

THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  ffi 'KINGSHIP. 

i^X.  C.  Repos.  April,  May.  June.  1853.) 

"And  Moses  went  up  unto  God,  and  the  Lord  called  unto  liim  out  of  the 
mountain,  saying,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  tell  the 
children  of  Israel ;  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how  I 
bare  you  on  eagles'  wing^,  and  brought  you  unto  myself.  Now,  therefore, 
if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,  and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a 
peculiar  treasure  unto  me  above  all  people  :  for  all  the  earth  is  mine:  and 
ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  a  holy  nation." — E.\.  xi.x.  ."-G. 

The  distinction  and  pre-eminence  which  accrued  to  the 
people  of  Israel,  as  a  representative  people,  constitutes 
the  theme  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Sacred  Volume. 
Their  history  as  a  peo])le  has  ever  been  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  striking  phases  of  the  Divine  Providence, 
and  yet  it  has  been  deemed  a  problem  how  such  a  people 
could  have  stood  in  a  peculiar  state  of  favoritism  with 
Heaven.  They  were  of  a  genius  so  perverse  and  intract- 
able— so  prone  to  idolatry — so  dull,  so  gross,  so  carnal — 
that  it  seems  incredible  that  such  a  prerogative  should 
have  been  accorded  to  them.  The  difficulty  on  this  score, 
in  respect  to  the  whole  nation,  is  substantially  the  same 
with  that  in  regard  to  David,  one  of  its  brightest  and  most 
distinguished  sons.  "With  the  historv  of  this  remarkable 
personage  in  our  hand.-,  it  has  been  with  thousands  a 
serious  question  how  he  could  have  been  denominated 
"  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,"  when  his  conduct,  on 
various  occasions,  would  appear  to  have  stamped  him 
rather  as  a  man  after  the  Devil's  own  heart,  and  that  too 
in  despite  of  many  interesting  and  attractive  traits  in  his 
character. 

The  solution  of  this  difficulty  is  to  be  found  in  the 
views  of  the  Divine  Word,  and  the  Divine  Providence, 
which  are  opened  and  inculcated  in  the  writings  of  tlie 
2 


6 


THK  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


New  Church  on  the  subject  of  representatives.  "It  is 
a  thing  of  indifference,"  says  our  illuihined  author, 
"  what  the  quality  of  the  man  who  represents,  whether  he 
be  evil  or  good  ;  for  evil  men  may  alike  represent  and 
did  represent  the  Lord's  Divine  (principle).  The  same 
may  appear  from  the  representatives  which  exist  even  at 
this  day  ;  for  all  Kings,  whosoever  they  are,  and  of  what- 
soever quality,  by  virtue  of  the  principle  of  royalty  ap- 
pertaining to  them,  represent  the  Lord ;  in  like  manner 
all  Priests,  whosoever  or  of  whatsoever  quality  they  are, 
by  virtue  of  the  priestly  principle.  The  principle  of 
royalty  [regium),  and  the  priestly  principle  {sacerdotale) 
is  holy,  whatsoever  be  the  nature  and  quality  of  the  per- 
son who  ministers  tliem  ;  hence  it  is,  that  the  Word 
taught  by  a  wicked  person  is  alike  holy,  as  when  taught 
by  a  good  person,  and  also  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  and 
the  Holy  Suppci',  and  the  like." — A.  G.  3G70.  Now  we 
learn  that  the  Jewish  nation  sustained  a  representative 
character,  and  tliat  their  whole  outward  history  was  a  de- 
signed forecasting  of  the  interior  or  spiritual  history  of 
the  true  church,  in  all  subsequent  time  The  truth  in- 
volved in  this  position  is  not  so  entirely  and  exclusively 
of  New  Church  origin,  but  tliat  it  has  been  dimly  per- 
ceived in  all  ages,  by  the  possessors  of  tlie  divine  revela- 
tion, that  there  was  a  latent  allusion  in  the  history  of 
Israel  to  the  Christian  (^liurch.  The  bondage  of  that 
people  in  Egypt — their  deliverance  thence — their  long 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness — and  their  entrance  into 
Canaan — have  ever  been  regarded  as  a  significant  adum- 
bration or  type  of  the  interior  or  spiritual  history  of  the 
Lord's  true  church,  in  the  various  periods  of  time.  On 
the  principle  of  representation,  their  character  as  a  people 
may  have  been  internally  bad  or  sadly  defective,  and  yet 
they  may  liave  answered  this  end;  and  thus  viewed, 
their  whole  history  is  a  kind  of  pictorial  shadowing  forth 
of  the  inner  career  and  experience  of  the  Christian  man. 
This  career  and  experience  may  be  read  on  this  symboli- 
cal tablet  somewhat  as  ^neas  read  the  fortunes  of  Troy 
depicted  on  the  walls  of  Dido's  palace  at  Carthage. 


THK  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIl*. 


7 


In  this  typical  character,  therefore,  of  the  Jewish  race, 
we  have  a  key  to  the  import  of  the  passage  before  its — 
"  Ye  shall  be  to  me  a  holy  nation,  a  kingdom  of  priests." 
It  is  palpable  that  the  declaration  never  became  a  literal 
truth,  as  the  priesthood  was  restricted  to  the  fomily  of 
Aaron  ;  nor  for  the  same  reason  was  it  predicable  solely 
of  the  nation  itself.  It  looked  or  penetrated  through 
them  to  some  other  people  in  whom  it  should  receive  a 
more  emphatic  fulfilment.  But,  in  order  to  grasp  this 
more  adequately,  it  will  be  expedient  to  go  a  little  into 
the  nature  of  priesthood  and  royalty — the  mitre  and  the 
crown — and  learn  what  is  implied  by  both. 

When  we  consider  that  the  whole  Jewish  ritual  was 
appointed  by  Jehovah  himself,  we  must  of  necessity  sup- 
pose that  there  was  some  worthy  mystery  shadowed  forth 
by  the  splendid  and  pompous  array  of  dresses  and  duties 
pertaining  to  the  High  Priest  and  his  subordinate 
officials.  Aaron,  invested  with  his  pontifical  robes,  was, 
next  to  the  Tabernacle  and  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  the 
most  conspicuous  feature  of  that  dispensation.  Upon  him 
it  devolved  to  lead  the  worship  of  the  nation  ;  to  preside 
at  the  altar  service;  to  see  that  the  sacrificial  rites  were 
duly  performed,  and  all  the  various  minutise  of  the  cere- 
monial strictly  observed.  Behold  him,  then,  coming 
forth  from  the  Most  Holy  Place  of  the  Tabernacle,  his 
head  adorned  with  a  mitre,  and  that  part  of  it  which 
covered  the  forehead  having  a  golden  plate  with  the  in- 
scription, KoDESH  LA-HovAH,  hoUness  to  the  Lord ;  his 
shoulders  crowned  with  onyx  ejiaulettes,  and  bearing  the 
appendant  ephod  ;  his  bosom  covered  with  the  breast- 
plate, glittering  with  precious  stones,  and  his  robe 
fringed  with  pomegranates  and  bells,  which  latter  tinkled 
continually  as  he  ministered  at  the  altar  and  through  the 
camp.  Behold  him,  I  say,  thus  arrayed  in  "  garments  of 
glory,"  and  let  us  ask  ourselves  whether  such  a  splendid 
pageant  could  have  been  got  up  by  the  Divine  command, 
simply  to  feast  the  eyes  of  the  congregation  upon  the 
parade  and  glitter  of  a  sacred  raree-show.  Could  such 
a  display  have  been  designed  as  a  mere  gewgaw  to  de- 


8 


THE  PRIESTirOOD  AND  THE  KINGSilll'. 


light  the  senses  of  a  gross  and  worldly-minded  people,  as 
the  uniform  of  soldiers  does  the  eyes  of  children  ?  Surely 
not.  "We  must  recognize  some  higher  aim  in  these  ap- 
pointments. We  must  realize  in  them  a  representative 
display,  and  a  display  in  the  first  instance  of  the  Lord 
himself,  for  He  is  pre-eminently  the  substance  of  these 
magnificent  shadows.  Look  then  at  him  througli  the 
transparent  veil  of  the  priestly  ordinances.  Gaze  at 
Aaron  till  Aaron  disappears  from  view,  and  you  behold 
the  Lord  himself  as  the  grand  and  absorbing  reality — the 
sum  and  substance — the  body  and  verity — of  the  Aaronic 
mysteries. 

But  the  simple  recognition  of  the  Lord  as  the  substance 
of  the  representation,  will  still  leave  ns  far  short  of  at- 
taining an  adequate  idea  of  priesthood.  It  is  peculiar  to 
the  spirit  of  New  Church  teachings  that  they  prompt  to 
a  process  of  breaking  dow^i  or  resolution  of  all  generals 
into  particulars,  and  of  particulars  into  singulars.  The 
mind  of  the  Newchurchman,  acuminated  by  the  habits 
which  it  necessarily  forms  of  exact  discrimination,  is  led 
onward  to  a  close  analysis  of  the  component  ideas  enter- 
ing into  all  general  and  comprehensive  terms.  When, 
therefore,  he  finds  the  Lord  himself  denominated  a  Priest, 
he  is  conscious  that  he  has  no  clear  perception  of  the 
truth  involved  in  this  designation,  until  he  ascertains  the 
essential  principle  in  the  Divine  nature  of  which  this  title 
is  more  especially  predicated.  Now,  as  the  fundamental 
ideas  of  the  Divine  Being  are  those  of  love  and  wisdom, 
or  goodness  and  truth,  so  it  is  evident  that  we  are  to  seek 
for  the  grounds  of  the  Divine  priestly  dignity  in  one  or 
the  other  of  these  principles.  And  here  it  is  that  we  are 
prepared  to  welcome  the  light  that  is  afibrded  us  in  the 
following  paragraph  from  our  illustrious  authority,  in  ex- 
plaining the  passage.  Rev.  xx.  6,  "They  shall  be  priests 
of  God  and  of  Christ." 

"  By  priests,  iu  the  Word,  are  meant  those  who  are  iu  the  good  of 
love,  and  by  kings  those  who  are  in  tlie  truths  of  wisdom  :  wherefore 
it  is  said  abo\  e,  '  Jesus  Christ  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests,'  Apoc. 
i.  6  ;  and  likewise.  '  the  Lamb  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests,  that  we 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSIIIP. 


9 


may  reign  over  the  earth,'  v,  16  ;  and  it  may  be  seen  plainly,  that  the 
Lord  will  not  make  men  kings  and  priests,  but  that  He  will  make 
angels  of  those  who  are  in  truths  of  wisdom,  and  in  the  good  of  love 
from  Him  ;  that  by  kings  are  meant  those  who  are  in  truths  of  wisdom 
from  the  Lord,  and  that  the  Lord  is  called  a  king  in  consequence  of  His 
divine  truth,  may  be  seen  above,  n.  31,  625,  941, 1242  :  but  the  reason 
why  by  priests  are  meant  those  who  are  in  the  good  of  love  from  the 
Lord,  is,  because  the  Lord  is  divine  love  and  divine  wisdom,  or,  what 
amounts  to  the  same,  divine  good  and  divine  truth  ;  and  the  Lord 
in  consequence  of  His  divine  love  or  divine  good,  is  called  a  priest,  and 
in  consequence  of  His  divine  wisdom  or  divine  truth  is  called  a  king  : 
hence  it  is,  that  there  are  two  kingdoms,  into  which  the  heavens  are 
distinguished,  the  celestial  and  the  spiritual ;  and  the  celestial  kingdom 
is  called  the  Lord's  priestly  kingdom,  for  the  angels  there  are  recipients 
of  divine  love  or  divine  good  from  the  Lord,  and  the  spiritual  kingdom 
is  called  the  Lord's  royal  kingdom,  for  the  angels  there  are  recipients 
of  divine  wisdom  or  divine  truth  from  the  Lord.  It  is  said  that  they 
are  recipients  of  divine  good  and  divine  truth  from  the  Lord,  but  it  is 
to  be  observed,  that  they  are  continually  receiving  them,  for  divine 
good  and  divine  truth  cannot  be  appropriated  to  any  angel  or  man,  so 
as  to  be  his  own,  but  only  so  that  they  may  seem  to  be  his,  because 
they  are  divine  ;  wherefore  no  angel  or  man  can  produce  from  himself 
any  thing  good  or  true,  which  is  really  good  and  true  in  itself ;  whence 
it  is  plain,  that  they  are  kept  in  what  is  good  and  true  by  the  Lord, 
and  that  they  are  so  kept  continually  ;  for  which  reason,  if  any  one 
comes  to  heaven,  and  thinks  that  good  and  truth  are  appropriated  to 
him  as  his  own,  he  is  immediately  let  down  from  heaven  and  instructed. 
From  these  considerations  then  it  may  appear,  that  by  their  being 
priests  of  God  and  Christ,  is  signified  because  those  are  kept  by  the 
Lord  in  the  good  of  love,  and  thereby  in  the  truths  of  wisdom." — A. 
E.  1265. 

From  this  we  learn  that  the  priestly  element  in  the 
Divine  nature  is  the  good  of  love,  and  that  it  is  the  same 
principle,  in  its  measure,  which  forms  the  basis  of  a  true 
spiritual  priesthood  in  the  man  of  the  church.  It  is  this 
principle,  therefore,  which  is  represented  by  the  external 
official  priesthood  of  the  Old  Dispensation.  But  on  this 
hea(>we  shall  have  more  to  say  in  the  sequel. 

In  the  ancient  representative  church  both  the  priest- 
hood and  the  royalty  were  conjoined  in  one  person,  be- 
cause the  good  and  the  truth  which  proceed  from  the 
Lord  are  united,  as  they  are  united  also  in  the  angels 
of  Heaven.  Melchizedek,  "king  of  righteousness,  and 
king  of  peace,"  may  be  considered  as  a  prominent  type 


10 


TUE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  TUK  KINGSHIP. 


of  this  order  of  tilings,  in  which  character,  or  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Lord,  he  blessed  Abraham,  the  greatest 
man  then  living,  and  offered  him  bread  and  wine  in 
reference  to  these  two  principles,  they  being  the  symbols 
re8.pectively  of  the  good  of  love  and  the  truth  of  faith. 
In  this  relation  we  perceive  more  adequately  the  pur- 
port of  the  Divine  declaration,  "Thou  art  a  priest  for- 
ever after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.''  The  same  train 
of  remark  throws  light  upon  the  historical  phases  in 
which  the  race  of  Israel  is  presented  to  us  in  the  Word. 
In  its  earlier  periods  these  two  functions  were  concen- 
trated in  one  person,  who  acted  as  both  priest  and  king, 
and  of  this  we  have  evident  traces  in  Homer  and  Hesiod. 

But  eventually,  on  account  of  the  wars  and  idolatries 
of  that  people,  the  functions  were  separated,  and  rulers 
presided  over  the  civil,  and  priests  over  the  religious 
affairs  of  the  nation.  They  were  subsequently  united 
again  in  Eli  and  Samuel,  but  still  the  genius  of  the 
people  was  so  corrupt  that  the  representation  under  this 
form  could  not  well  stand,  and  therefore  it  pleased  the 
Divine  Wisdom  that  a  marked  separation  should  again 
take  place,  and  the  Divine  truth  be  represented  by  kings, 
and  the  Divine  good  by  priests.  The  division  of  the 
kingdom,  at  a  still  later  period  into  that  of  Judah  and  of 
Israel  was  providentially  ordered  with  reference  to  the 
same  representative  import,  the  kingdom  of  Judah  de- 
noting good,  and  that  of  Israel  truth.'-    On  the  same 


*  "  In  the  representative  church  amongst  the  posterity  of  Jacob,  there 
was  first  a  kingdom  of  judges,  afterwards  a  kingdom  of  piiests,  and  lastly  a 
kingdom  of  kings,  and  by  the  kingdom  of  judges  was  represented  Divine 
Truth  from  Divine  Good ;  but  by  the  kingdom  of  priests,  who  were  also 
judges,  was  represented  Divine  Good  from  which  Divine  Truth  is  derived; 
and  by  the  kingdom  of  kings  was  represented  Divine  Truth  without  D^-ine 
Good  ;  but  when  something  of  the  priesthood  was  adjoined  also  to  the  regal 
[ofBce],  then  was  also  represented  by  kings  the  Divine  Truth,  in  which 
there  was  so  much  of  good  as  there  was  of  the  piiesthood  adjoined  to  the 
regal  office.  All  these  things  were  instituted  in  the  Jewish  Church,  that  by 
them  might  be  represented  states  of  heaven,  for  in  heaven  there  are  two 
kingdoms,  one  which  is  called  the  celestial  kingdom,  and  the  other  which  is 
called  the  spiritual  kingdom  ;  the  celestial  kingdom  is  what  is  called  the 
priesthood,  and  the  spiritual  kingdom  what  is  called  the  royalty  of  the 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KIN&SHIP. 


11 


ground  it  undoubtedly  is,  that  in  the  Divine  providence 
a  similar  disjunction  has  taken  place  and  been  long  per- 
petuated in  the  world,  whereby  the  officers  of  religious 
and  civil  life  are  universally  distinct,  constituting  the 
two  great  departments  of  life,  action,  and  interest.  It  is 
here  that  we  recognize  the  reason  why  the  main  aspect 
induced  upon  the  nations  of  the  earth  is  poUiicalinstead 
of  ecclesiastical,  for  in  the  outset  we  learn  that  men  were 
associated  together  as  churches,  and  not  as  kingdoms. 
The  predominance  of  the  secular  over  the  sacred  in  this 
way  shows  the  corresponding  prevalence  of  trtdh  over 
good.  As  this  inversion  of  states  had  previously  found 
place  in  men's  interiors,  it  was  therefore  of  the  Divine 
wisdom  that  the  institutions  and  polities  under  which 
they  lived  should  be  accommodated  to  the  perverted  ex- 
igencies of  their  condition.  But  just  in  proportion  as 
the  moral  state  of  mankind  is  wrought  upon  and  reno- 
vated by  the  new  influences  that  are  being  brought  to 
bear  upon  it — just  as  the  multiform  evils  of  the  existing 
order  of  things  are  got  rid  of — ^just  in  that  proportion  will 
there  be  a  re-union  or  re-conjunction  of  these  two  func- 
tions, the  sacerdotal  and  the  magisterial,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  there  will  be  a  more  intimate  union  of  the 
good  and  the  trutli  which  they  respectively  represent. 
Every  man  will  be  becoming  more  and  more  his  own 
priest,  as  will  every  man  his  own  physician,  and  his  own 
lawyer.  The  lawyers  of  the  more  advanced  eras  of  the 
church's  development  will  answer  more  fully  to  the 
designation  as  employed  in  the  ]^ew  Testament,  where 
it  is  applied  to  those  who  search  into  and  expound  the 
Divine  law  instead  of  the  countless  complexities  of  human 
codes. 

But  to  return  to  the  words  of  our  text,  "  Ye  shall  be 

Lord  ;  in  the  latter  Divine  Truth  reigns,  in  the  former  Divine  Good;  and 
whereas  the  representative  of  the  celestial  kingdom  began  to  perish,  when 
they  sought  a  king,  therefore  on  this  occasion,  that  the  representative  of  the 
Lord's  kingdom  in  the  heavens  might  still  be  continued,  the  Jews  were  sep- 
arated from  the  Israelites,  and  by  the  Jewish  kingdom  was  represented  the 
celestial  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  and  by  the  IsraeUiish  kingdom  His  spiritual 
kingdom."—^.  C.  8770. 


12 


THE  PBIBSTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSBIP. 


unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,"  &c.  We  have  already 
remarked  that  this  language  never  received  a  literal  ac- 
complishment even  in  the  best  days  of  the  Jewish  com- 
monwealth, when  they  came  the  nearest  to  that  life  of 
obedience  which  was  the  condition  of  its  being  fulfilled 
to  them.  The  priesthood,  instead  of  being  diffused  over 
the  whole  people  in  common,  was  restricted  to  one  family, 
and  one  line,  whose  prerogative,  in  this  respect,  was 
guarded  by  the  most  explicit  provisions  and  the  most 
fearful  sanctions.  How  then  was  the  promise  realized  in 
its  comprehensive  import  to  that  people?  How  were  the 
sons  of  Jacob,  as  a  whole,  ever  made  a  "kingdom  of 
priests  ?"  Was  it,  in  fact,  ever  fulfilled  to  them  at  all  ? 
Even  if  we  admit  that  to  the  truly  and  interioily  good 
among  them  there  was  an  intrinsic  applicability  of  the 
term,  yet  of  what  a  mere  fraction  of  the  race  have  we 
reason  to  suppose  this  would  hold  good?  Are  we  not 
forced,  by  the  tone  and  tenor  of  their  history,  to  deny  to 
them,  as  a  body,  the  blessing  of  the  promise,  and  to  look 
a  long  way  onward  and  downward  for  the  actual  accom- 
plishment of  what  is  truly  intended  by  the  burden  of  the 
words  ? 

Nothing  is  more  obvious  than  that  a  multitude  of 
things  set  forth  in  the  Old  Testament  received  their  ful- 
fillment in  the  New.  So,  in  the  present  case,  the  proper 
way  is  to  view  the  words  as  applicable  to  all  true  Chris- 
tians under  the  New  Testament,  and  especially  under  the 
New  Dispensation,  in  whom  they  receive  a  more  full,  and 
adequate,  and  signal  accomplishment.  Let  the  casket  of 
the  literal  Israel  be  conceived  as  opened,  and  the  pearls 
of  the  Lord's  New  Church  appear.  Let  us  travel  on- 
wards with  Isaiali  and  all  the  prophets  to  the  happier 
times  of  the  New  Economy,  and  read  in  the  epistle  of 
Peter  the  coincident  language  which  proves  that  the  true 
Christians  of  his  own  and  subsequent  ages  are  the  real 
subjects  of  the  promise  here  made.  "  Unto  you  there- 
fore which  believe  he  is  precious,  but  unto  them  which 
be  disobedient,  the  stone  which  the  builders  disallowed, 
the  same  is  made  the  head  of  the  corner.    And  a  stone 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THK  KrNOSniH. 


13 


of  stumbling,  and  a  rock  of  oflence,  even  to  them  which 
stumble  at  the  word,  being  disobedient ;  whereunto  also 
thej  were  appointed.  But  ye  are  a  chosen  generation, 
a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  })eculiar  people  ;  that 
ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called 
you  out  of  darkness  into  liis  marvellous  light."'^  Here 
we  have  Peter,  whom  so  many  so-called  Christians 
would  make  out  the  primate  of  the  Church — Peter, 
whose  pretended  successors  have  continued  to  exalt 
themselves  to  the  throne,  and  to  trample  the  people  in 
the  dust — this  same  Peter  makes  over  to  all  good  Chris- 
tians the  title  of  priests,  and  so  far  from  arrogating  to 
himself  any  peculiar  pre-eminence  on  accoimt  of  what 
the  Lord  said  to  him  respecting  his  being  the  Eock  on 
which  the  Church  was  built,  he  obviously  makes  Christ 
the  Rock,  and  says  that  they  are  "  lively  stones  built  up 
unto  Him"  as  the  true  basis  on  which  the  Church  rests. 
It  may  not  be  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  apostle  un- 
derstood the  full  force  of  his  own  language,  but  to  those 
who  are  possessed  of  the  true  "  key  of  knowledge"  the 
phrase  "  lively  stones"  conveys  the  idea  of  living  truths, 
or  truths  personified  and  embodied  in  the  spiritually 
living  men  of  the  Church. 

We  see  then  here  developed  the  grand  truth  of  our 
text,  that  those  who  obey  the  Lord's  voice,  and  keep  his 
covenant,  become  to  him  a  peculiar  treasure,  and  a  king- 
dom of  priests.  Accordant  with  this  both  in  letter  and 
in  spirit  is  the  language  of  Isaiah  and  of  John.  Is.  Ixi. 
4-6  :  "  And  they  shall  build  the  old  wastes,  they  shall 
raise  up  the  former  desolations,  and  they  shall  repair  the 


*  "To  be  a  peculium  (or  a  peculiar  people)  signifies  to  be  the  Lord'?,  for 
a  peculium  denotes  property,  and  thus  possession,  and  it  denotes  that  in 
such  case  Divine  Truth  would  appertain  to  them  above  others.  The  reason 
why  ihey  who  have  the  Word  are  a  peculium,  and  a  property  above  others, 
is,  because  they  know  the  truths  and  goods  of  f.iith,  and,  in  consequence, 
can  live  the  life  of  heaven,  and  be  thereby  more  especially  conjoined  with 
the  Lord  than  others  ;  for  the  good  which  makes  heaven  with  man  has  its 
quality  from  the  truth  of  faith,  thus  good  becomes  more  celestial  or  more  di- 
vine, with  those  who  have  genuine  truths,  which  are  truths  from  the  Word, 
supposing  they  are  kept."— ^.  C.  8768. 


14 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


waste  cities,  the  desolations  of  many  generations.  And 
strangers  shall  stand  and  feed  your  flocks,  and  the  sons 
of  the  alien  shall  be  your  ploughmen  and  your  vine- 
dressers. But  ye  shall  be  named  the  jyy^iests  of  the  Lord; 
men  shall  call  you  the  ministers  of  our  God:  ye  shall 
eat  the  riches  of  the  Gentiles,  and  in  their  glory  shall  ye 
boast  yourselves."  Ver.  21 :  "And  I  will  also  take  of 
them  for  priests  and  for  Zevites,  saith  the  Lord."  Rev. 
i.  5,  6  :  "And  from  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  faithful 
Witness,  and  the  First-begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the 
Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth.  Unto  him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood.  And 
hath  made  us  ki7iffs  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father ; 
to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen." 

What  can  be  understood  from  this  but  that  the  inter- 
nal spiritual  prerogative  indicated  by  the  name  and  an- 
swering to  the  outward  function  accrues  or  inures  to  every 
one,  even  the  humblest  disciple  in  the  Lord's  kingdom, 
just  so  far  as  he  is  in  the  spirit  of  obedience  to  the  Di- 
vine voice,  and  in  the  keeping  of  the  covenant  which 
Jehovah  hath  ordained  ?  Our  previous  explanations 
leave  it  beyond  doubt  as  to  what  is  interiorly  conveyed 
in  the  purport  of  the  term.  By  a  priest  is  implied  the 
good  of  love,  and  by  a  king,  truth,  and  by  the  conjunc- 
tion of  the  two  is  denoted  that  these  two  principles  are 
to  be  found  in  union  in  those  who  come  by  their  lives 
into  the  sphere  of  the  Lord's  peculium.  As  it  was  pre- 
dicted of  the  Lord  himself  that  he  should  sit  as  a  priest 
on  his  throne,  that  is,  uniting  the  royal  and  sacerdotal 
dignity  in  himself,  so  is  it  to  be,  in  their  measure,  with 
his  true  people,  and  with  all  of  them.  This  is  confirmed 
by  the  words  of  the  apostle  when  he  says  of  Christians 
that  tliey  "  have  received  an  unctio7i  from  the  Holy 
One,"  compared  with  the  Divine  declaration,  "  for  their 
anointing  shall  surely  be  an  everlasting  priesthood 
throughout  all  their  generation." 

As  then  we  have  it  upon  divine  authority  that  every 
good  man  is  a  priest  and  a  king  in  a  spiritual  sense,  so 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


15 


under  the  present  dispensation  we  are  taught  to  recog- 
nize no  other  priesthood  than  that  which  is  spiritual. 
What  other  is  there  ?  '/Was  not  the  Jewish  priesthood 
representative  ?  And  has  not  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
abolished  representatives  ?  Is  any  thing  more  obvious 
in  the  writings  of  Swedenborg  than  that  the  representa- 
tives of  the  Jewish  system  have  all  passed  away,  and 
that  we  have  come  into  the  very  reality  of  the  thing  sig- 
nified ?  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  were  retained, 
and  these  only. 

"  Washings  and  many  such  like  things  were  commanded  and  enjoin- 
ed upon  the  house  of  Israel,  because  the  church  instituted  with  them 
was  a  representative  church,  and  this  was  such  that  it  prefigured  the 
Christian  church  which  was  to  come.  AVherefore  when  the  Lord  came 
into  the  world,  He  abrogated  the  representatives,  which  were  all  ex- 
ternal, and  instituted  a  church,  of  which  all  things  should  be  internal  : 
thus  the  Lord  put  away  the  figures,  and  revealed  the  efEgies  them- 
selves ;  as  one  removes  a  veil  or  opens  a  door,  and  causes  the  things 
within  not  only  to  be  seen,  but  also  to  be  approached.  Of  all  these 
things  the  Lord  retained  only  two,  which  should  contain,  in  one  com- 
plex, all  things  of  the  internal  church  ;  which  two  things  are  Baptism 
instead  of  washinas-  and  the  Holy  Supper  instead  of  the  Lamb." — 
T.'C.R.m. 

•'  The  representatives  of  internal  things  ceased  by  the  coming  of  the 
Lord.  The  case  herein  is  like  that  of  the  soul  or  spirit  of  man  and 
his  body  :  the  soul  or  spirit  of  a  man  is  his  internal,  and  the  body  is 
the  external  ;  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  the  soul  or  spirit  is  the  very 
effigy  of  the  man,  but  the  body  is  its  representative  image  :  when  the 
man  rises  again,  then  the  representative  image,  or  his  external,  which 
is  the  body,  is  put  off,  for  then  he  is  in  the  internal,  or  the  verv  effigy 
itself."—^.  C.  4835. 

In  the  transition  from  the  Old  to  the  Xew  System,  the 
Temple,  the  Priest,  the  Altar,  the  Laver,  the  Incense, 
and  the  Sacrifice  have  all  vanished  away,  and  the  Lord 
himself  stands  forth  "  sufiicient  and  alone"  the  exclusive 
Priest,  Prophet,  King,  Head,  and  Husband,  of  his 
church. 

Yet  "we  have  but  to  turn  over  the  page  of  history  to 
see  that  this  great  truth  has  been  grievously  lost  sight  of, 
and  a  raging  propensity  evinced  to  return  again  to  the 


16 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


old  antiquated  aud  superannuated  idea  of  priesthood. 
Accordingly,  if  we  enter  the  precincts  of  the  Koman 
Catholic  Church,  we  find  the  leading  features  of  the  Jew- 
ish system  completely  reproduced.  There  is  the  Priest, 
and  the  Altar,  and  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and,  to 
crown  the  whole,  there  is  the  Arch-Pontiff,  the  Grand 
High  Priest  of  the  Christian  Churc,  its  Supreme  Head, 
which  gives  visible  unity  to  the  whole  body.  This  poli- 
ty is  sustained  by  a  specious  kind  of  reasoning,  which  is 
in  cftect  not  unfrequently  enlisted  in  behalf  of  general 
conventions  or  synods,  that  stand  vii'tually  in  the  same 
relation  to  the  body  of  the  church  as  does  an  individual 
pope.  The princijjle  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  pa- 
pacy. It  is  maintained  more  or  less  in  all  churches  in 
whicli  the  esprit  du  corps,  or  spirit  of  sect,  is  strong. 
But  in  whatever  form  it  exists — whether  of  Pope,  Bish- 
op, Council,  Conference,  Convention,  or  Assembly,  it  is 
in  eftect  the  same,  aud  is  utterly  and  eternally  abhorrent 
to  the  true  genius  of  the  true  church. 

But  however  clear  and  unequivocal  the  principles 
above  enunciated,  there  is  still  with  the  advocates  of  a 
Christian  Priesthood  a  persistent  leaning  upon  represen- 
tatives which  goes  to  nullify  the  force  of  all  we  have 
thus  far  said  on  the  subject.  "  There  were  surely 
priests,"  it  is  objected,  "imder  the  old  dispensation,  and 
if  they  did  not  represent  priests  under  the  new,  what 
did  they  represent  f  We  have  already  replied  to  this, 
that  the  celestial  element  in  heaven  and  the  church  is 
that  whicii  the  priestly  function  was  designed  to  repre- 
sent, as  is  the  spiritual  that  which  is  bodied  forth  by 
kings.  By  tliese  two  classes  of  persons  was  represented 
then  the  two  distinct  but  intimately  related 2J'''inciples  of 
good  and  truth,  and  when  these  principles  entered,  at  the 
first  coming  of  the  Lord,  upon  a  more  substantial  devel- 
opment in  the  church,  the  representatives  themselves 
were  formally  abolished,  just  as  a  shadow  disappears 
when  the  meridian  sun  shines  perpendicularly  down  up- 
on the  object  which  caused  it.  The  proof  of  this  we 
have  already  given.    If  now  we  admit,  what  is  so  clear- 


THE  PEIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


17 


Ij  taught  in  the  writings  of  the  New  Chnrch,  that  these 
princijjUs  were  foreshadowed  in  these  types,  we  are 
bound  to  consider  the  import  of  the  representatives 
exhausted  in  them,  unless  we  are  furnished  with  some 
express  intimation  to  the  contrary.  If  it  be  affirmed 
that  priestly  persons  under  the  Levitical  economy  re- 
presented an  order  of  men  devoted  to  ecclesiastical 
functions  under  the  old  or  new  Christian  dispensation, 
we  are  at  liberty  to  demand  the  authority  for  the  posi- 
tion, which  we  have  never  yet  been  so  happy  as  to  meet 
with.  At  the  same  time,  we  are  far  from  holding  that 
the  above-mentioned  principles  exist  as  mere  floating  ab- 
stractions. They  are  principles  that  are  embodied— and 
embodied  too  in  living  men  of  the  Church,  but  not  in  a 
so-termed  distinct  clerical  order,  contra-distinguished 
from  the  laitv,  as  was  the  Levitical  tribe  among  the  Jews 
from  the  other  tribes.  Such  a  distinction  we  affirm  to 
be  unknown  to  the  teachings  of  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion. Still  the  sacerdotal  good  and  the  regal  truth  are 
essential  elements  of  the  church,  and  must  be  operative 
in  the  persons  of  its  members.  One  may  have  a  predo- 
minance of  one  principle,  and  another  of  the  other,  but 
they  are  both  found,  in  some  degree,  in  evei^y  member, 
and  no  such  thing  is  possible,  on  orderly  grounds,  as  a 
restriction  or  appropriation  of  the  priestly  function,  for 
instance,  to  a  particular  class,  to  the  exclusion  of  others. 
All  are  priests,  in  some  measure,  and  on  this  basis,  the 
church  is  constituted  an  imiversal  ministry.  This,  how- 
ever, is  in  no  way  inconsistent  with  a  special  ministry  or 
teaching  function  to  be  exercised  by  those  in  whom  these 
principles  shall  assert  or  pronounce  themselves  with  pe- 
culiar emphasis  and  force,  and  in  whom  they  shall  be 
recognized  and  acknowledged  by  others.  I  am  aware 
that  many  find  it  difficult  even  to  understand  what  is 
meant  by  a  "  teaching  minister,"  when  he  is  viewed  other- 
wise than  as  pertaining  to  a  distinct  clerical  order.  But 
the  distinction  is  intrinsically  intelligible,  and  will  be 
more  easily  understood  in  proportion  as  the  church 
emerges  from  the  false  position  in  which  it  is  now  held 
3 


18  THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHir. 

captive,  as  it  were,  by  reason  of  its  long  and  unquestion- 
ing wont  to  priestly  ideas  and  institutions.  It  is  difficult 
indeed  for  one  to  see  the  false  while  he  is  mainly  in  it. 
How  is  the  mind  of  a  native  monarchist  taxed  to  conceive 
adequately  of  the  state  of  things  under  a  republic  ?  How 
next  to  impossible  for  a  minion  of  the  Romish  hierarchy 
to  entertain  the  idea  of  church-freedom  with  which  we 
are  all  familiar  in  America  ?  Yet  when  the  kingly  or 
priestly  institution  is  subjected  to  a  rigid  inquest  into  its 
ground  or  authority,  how  does  the  evidence  vanish  into 
thin  air? 

In  the  present  case,  we  deny  the  legitimate  existence 
of  a  priesthood  in  the  New  Christian  Church,  from  the 
utter  absence  of  all  positive  proof  in  its  favor.  That 
mention  is  indeed  made  of  priests  again  and  again  in  the 
writings  of  Swedenborg  is  unquestionable,  but  the  con- 
text will  almost  invariably  show  that  the  church  to 
which  his  priests  pertain  is  not  the  church  of  the  Kew 
Jerusalem,  which  was  then  but  just  commencing,  but 
the  church  of  Christendom  of  which  he  spake  as  it  was, 
and  to  which  he  freely  conceded  a  certain  degree  of  the 
gifts  and  graces  of  the  Tloly  Spirit,  and  that  too  as  re- 
ceived through  the  medium  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  in 
ordination.  It  is  we  conceive  of  this  priesthood  or  clergy 
that  he  speaks  when  he  says,  that  the  Divine  proceeding 
j^asses  "  through  men  to  men,  and  in  the  church  chiefly 
from  the  clergy  to  the  laity.''''  So  again  when  he  says  (A. 
R.  567)  that  the  clergy  are  in  the  internals,  and  the  laity 
in  the  externals,  of  the  church.  We  perceive  in  this  and 
several  kindred  passages  of  the  same  work,  no  reference 
to  the  New  Church,  but  solely  to  the  church  that  pre- 
ceded it.  The  same  is  to  be  said  of  the  oft-cited  passage, 
T.  C.  R.  146,  in  which  our  author  affirms  that  "  the  di- 
vine virtue  and  operation  which  is  signified  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  consists,  %oith  the  clergy  in  particular.,  in  illustra- 
tion and  instruction,  the  reason  of  which  is  that  they  be- 
long to  their  office,  and  inaugui-ation  into  the  ministry 
brings  them  along  with  it."  One  has  but  to  read  the 
whole  section  connectedly  to  sec  that  its  reference  is 


THK  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINOSHIP. 


19 


primarily  to  the  clergy  of  the  old  church,  who  were  in 
imminent  danger  of  mistaking  a  fiery  zeal  for  a  divine 
inspiration.  It  will  be  observed  too  that  they  are  sjjoken 
of  in  a  highly  derogatory  and  objurgatory  vein,  as  em- 
bracing among  them  deniers  of  God  and  despisers  of  the 
Word,  Jesuits',  enthusiasts,  and  Lucifers — predicates  that 
we  can  by  no  means  believe  applicable  to  the  truly  illus- 
trated and  instructed  man  of  the  New  Church.  It  is, 
moreover,  obvious  from  a  multitude  of  passages  in  other 
parts  of  the  writings  that  true  illustration  is  the  privilege, 
not  of  an  ordained  or  inaugurated  clergj^  on]j,  but  of  all 
who  are  in  a  suitable  state  to  receive  it.  The  following 
are  to  the  point : 

'•  Every  one  is  illustrated  and  informed  from  the  Word  according  to  the 
aflfection  of  truth,  and  the  degree  of  the  desire  thereof,  and  according 
to  the  faculty  of  receiving."—^.  C.  9382. 

"  The  Lord  leads  those  who  love  truths,  and  will  them  from  Him- 
self ;  all  such  are  enlightened  when  they  read  the  Word,  for  the  Lord 
is  the  "Word,  and  speaks  with  every  one  according  to  his  comprehension. 
Men  are  enlightened  variously,  every  one  according  to  the  quality  of 
his  afifection  and  consequent  intelligence.  They  who  are  in  the  spirit- 
ual affection  of  truth  are  elevated  into  the  light  of  heaven  so  as  to 
perceive  the  illustration." — A.  E.  1183. 

"  They  are  in  illustration,  when  they  read  the  "Word,  who  are  in  the 
affection  of  truth  for  the  sake  of  truth,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  good  of 
life :  and  not  they  who  are  in  the  affection  of  truth  for  the  sake  of  self- 
glory,  of  reputation,  or  of  gain."— J.  C.  9382, 10,548, 10,551,  Index. 

"  The  diviue  truth  is  the  "Word,  and  they  who  are  of  that  church 
(the  New  Church)  are  illustrated  from  the  spiritual  light  of  the  Word 
by  influx  out  of  heaven  from  the  Lord,  and  this  by  reason  that  they  ac- 
knowledge the  Divine  (principle)  in  the  human  of  the  Lord,  and  from 
Him  are  in  the  spiritual  affection  of  truth  :  by  these  and  no  others  is 
spiritual  light  received,  which  continually  flows  in  through  heaven  from 
the  Lord  with  all  who  read  the  "Word ;  hence  is  their  illustration." — 
A.  E.  759. 

With  these  paragraphs  before  us  it  would  seem  impos- 
sible to  perceive  any  special  restriction  of  the  privilege 
of  illustration  to  the  clergy.  It  is  set  forth  as  the  pre- 
rogative of  all  those  who  are  in  the  affection  of  truth  for 


20 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


the  truth's  sake.  So  far  then  as  this  spiritual  illustration 
is  a  criterion  of  clerical  character,  we  are  to  recognize 
that  character  as  existing  wherever  the  illustration  exists  ; 
and  this  is  surely  not  among  any  one  class  of  the  men  of 
the  church.  The  clerical  function  evidently  depends 
upon  states  of  mind  or  life,  and  not  upon  official  desig- 
nation or  inaugurating  rites.  The  office  properly  resides 
with  men  of  special  qualifications,  and  those  qualifica- 
tions are  not  transmitted,  however  they  may  be  recog- 
nized, by  any  particular  form  of  induction.  We  are  all 
aware  of  the  great  stress  laid  upon  a  passage  in  the 
"  Canons,"  in  which  it  is  said  that  the  Divine  proceeding, 
which  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  passes  in  the  Church 
chiefly  from  the  clergy  to  the  laity,  and  that  the  clergy, 
because  they  are  to  teach  doctrine  from  the  Word,  are  to 
be  inaugurated  by  the  promise  {sponsionem^  covenant) 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  the  representation  of  its  trans- 
lation, though  it  is  to  be,  or  will  be,  received  by  the 
clergy  according  to  the  faith  of  their  life,  by  which  we 
suppose  is  meant  the  quality  of  their  life  as  governed  by 
their  faith.  In  this,  however,  we  see  nothing  inconsist- 
ent with  what  might  properly  be  said  in  reference  to  an 
existing  order  of  things  in  the  Christian  Church  in 
Swedenborg's  time,  and  without  any  special  allusion  to 
the  economy  of  the  church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  which 
was  subsequently  to  be  established.  And  we  are  con- 
firmed in  this  by  the  fact,  that  in  the  view  which  Swe- 
denborg  gives  us  of  the  influx  that  accompanies  illustra- 
tion— that  illustration  which  shall  enable  a  man  to  teach 
doctrine,  for,  "  to  be  illustrated  through  heaven  from  the 
Lord  is  to  be  illustrated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  Divine  proceeding  from  the  Lord" — we  see 
nothing  that  limits  it  particularly  to  the  clergy, 

"  It  may  be  expedient  briefly  to  say  in  what  manner  influx  is  eflFect- 
ed  by  which  is  illustration :  the  angels,  alike  with  men,  perceive  the 
Word  when  it  is  read,  but  the  angels  spiritually  and  men  naturally. 
The  man  whose  internal  is  open  also  perceives  the  Word  spiritually, 
but  this  he  is  ignorant  of  while  he  lives  in  the  world ;  because  his 
spiritual  thought  flows  in  into  the  natural  in  the  external  man,  and 


THK  PEIESTHOOD  AND  THK  KINGSHIl'. 


21 


there  presents  itself  to  be  seen ;  nevertheless  that  interior  thought  is 
what  illustrates,  and  by  which  is  effected  Ihe  influx  from  the  Lord." — 
A.  C.  10,551. 

It  will  be  hard  to  detect  anything  exclusively  official 
in  this,  and  so  also  of  the  extract  which  follows : 

"  Immediate  revelation  is  not  given,  unless  what  has  been  in  the 
Word,  which  revelation,  as  delivered  by  the  prophets  and  evangelists, 
and  in  the  historical  parts  of  the  Word,  is  such,  that  every  one  may  be 
taught  according  to  the  affections  of  his  love,  and  the  consequent 
thoughts  of  his  understanding.  Illustration  is  as  follows :  light  con- 
joined to  heat  flows  in  through  heaven  from  the  Lord  ;  this  heat,  which 
is  divine  love,  affects  the  will,  whence  man  has  the  affection  of  good  ; 
and  this  light,  which  is  divine  wisdom,  affects  the  understanding, 
whence  man  has  the  thought  of  truth." — A.  E.  1177. 

That  this  is  the  common  privilege  of  all  good  men  in 
the  church,  and  belongs  primarily  to  them,  is  to  be  in- 
ferred from  the  phraseology  in  T.  C.  E.  146,  before  cited, 
in  which  it  is  said  that  the  divine  operation,  reformation, 
regeneration,  renovation,  vivification,  sanctification,  jus- 
tification, purification,  remission  of  sins,  and  finally  sal- 
vation, flow  in  from  the  Lord,  as  well  with  the  clergy  as 
with  the  laity.  If  the  clergy  had  been  principal  in  this 
matter  we  should  have  expected  this  to  read  in  the  re- 
verse order,  "  as  well  with  the  laity  as  with  the  clergy.'''' 
How  obvious  the  conclusion  that  the  laity  are  the  primary 
recipients  of  these  operations,  and  that  the  information 
needed  by  the  reader  was  that  the  clergy  participated 
with  them  in  the  reception.  The  drift  of  the  language  is 
clearly  to  guard  against  the  impression  that  the  opera- 
tions in  question  were  confined  to  the  laity.  But  how  in- 
congruous would  it  be  to  put  the  statement  in  this  form 
on  the  supposition  that  the  clergy  were  of  course  to  take 
precedence  in  this  matter  ?  What  would  be  the  natural 
inference  if  one  in  describing  the  worship  of  a  Christian 
Church  should  say  that  the  choir,  as  well  as  the  congre- 
gation, took  part  in  the  chanting  ?  What  else  would  be 
implied  by  this  but  that  the  congregation  at  large  was 
the  party  which  was  understood  ordinarily  to  take  the 


22 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


lead  in  this  service  ?  And  tbat  the  clause  respecting  the 
choir  was  designed  to  supply  information  which  would 
otherwise  be  lacking. 

In  our  remarks  above  on  the  celebrated  passage  in  the 
"  Canons"  respecting  the  communication  or  transmission 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  the  Divine  Proceeding,  we  have 
olfered  some  reasons  for  questioning  the  common  appli- 
cation of  our  author's  words.  AYe  deem  ourselves,  indeed, 
forbidden  to  apply  the  Canon  above  cited  to  a  sacerdotal 
or  clerical  order  from  the  fact  that  Swedenborg  charac- 
terizes the  tenet  of  succession  of  ordinations  into  the 
ministry  as  an  "  elevation  from  the  love  of  dominion 
over  the  holy  things  of  the  church,  and  over  heaven, 
grounded  in  self-love,  which  is  the  devil ;  as  is  also  the 
transferring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  one  man  to  another," 
A.  H.  802.  We  of  course  admit  that  this  is  spoken 
originally  and  directly  of  the  succession  of  the  vicarship 
of  Christ  and  the  Priesthood  in  the  Papacy,  but  are  still 
constrained  to  recognize  in  it  a  principle  in  effect  acted 
upon  in  the  New  Church,  when  it  is  held  that  the  clergy 
perpetuate  their  own  order  by  manual  or  "  tactual"  suc- 
cession. This  principle  we  understand  Swedenborg  to 
repudiate  ;  and  from  the  following,  with  other  passages 
of  his  works,  we  infer  that  the  genuine  order  of  trans- 
mission is  rather  from  the  so-called  laity  to  the  so-called 
clergy  than  the  reverse. 

"  When  the  Levites  were  purified,  and  the  ministry  of  the  priesthood 
under  Aaron  was  ascribed  to  them,  it  was  commanded  lhat  two  bul- 
locks should  be  brought,  with  a  meat  offering,  and  that  Aaron  should 
bring  the  Levites  before  Jehovah,  and  the  sons  of  Israel  should  lay 
their  hands  upon  the  Levites,  Num.  viii.  7.  By  the  sons  of  Israel  lay- 
ing their  hands  upon  the  Levites,  was  signified  the  translation  of  the 
power  of  ministering  for  them,  and  reception  by  the  Levites,  thus 
separation." 

Here  is  the  recognition  of  an  original  inherent  right  in 
the  people  at  large  to  minister  for  themselves,  but  for 
adequate  reasons  an  economy  was  to  be  established, 
under  which  the  exercise  of  this  right,  in  their  own  per- 
sons, was  to  be  waived  as  a  general  fact,  and  the  function 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


23 


discharged  by  proxy.  It  does  not  appear  that  this 
amounted  to  an  actual  divesting  of  the  people  of  the 
right,  but  rather  to  a  simple  foregoing,  for  the  sake  of 
peculiar  advantages,  of  a  prerogative  with  which  they 
were  originally  endowed.  Now,  when  we  look  at  this 
Levitical  institute  in  its  representative  import,  we  read 
in  it  the  pre-intimation  of  that  order  which  we  have  all 
along  held  forth  as  the  genuine  order  of  the  New  Church, 
to  wit,  that  while  all  the  members  of  the  church  are 
spiritually  priests  and  kings,  and  thus  every  one  potea- 
itally  a  church  in  the  least  form,  yet  the  advanced  states 
of  some  on  the  score  of  intelligence  and  affection  quali- 
fy them  in  a  superior  degree  to  act  as  leaders  and 
teachers  of  their  brethren,  and  that,  consequently,  it  is 
perfectly  competent  for  these  brethren,  without  the  least 
reference  to  any  pre-existing  ordained  authority  in  the 
church,  to  acknowledge  such  endowed  individuals  as 
acting  for  them  in  this  leading  capacity.  This  they  can 
do  without  such  teachers  being  thereby  constituted  into  a 
distinct  order  or  caste,  as  the  clergy  are  usually  regarded. 
Nor  is  an  institute  in  this  way  created  which  shall  operate 
as  a  release  of  the  mass  of  believers  from  all  responsi- 
bility on  the  score  of  effort  in  building  up,  in  the  princi- 
ples of  the  church,  that  particular  society  with  which 
tliey  may  chance  to  be  connected.  If  it  is  deemed 
desirable  that  the  ordaining  rite  should  be  administered 
in  such  cases  to  represent  just  that  kind  of  vice-agent 
function  which  we  have  described,  so  be  it ;  we  know  of 
nothing  to  render  it  improper,  though  at  the  same  time 
we  see  nothing  to  make  it  imperative.  But,  if  done,  let 
it  be  understood  as  denoting  a  transmission  or  communi- 
cation from  the  people  to  their  substituted  ministers,  and 
not  from  one  jure  divino  clergyman  to  another.  Let  it, 
moreover,  ever  be  borne  in  mind,  that  Aaron,  his  sons, 
and  the  Levites,  represent  primarily  principles,  and  per- 
sons only  so  far  as  persons  may  be  necessary  to  embody 
those  principles.  Wherever  the  principles  exist  in  the 
proper  degree,  there  the  persons  are  found,  provided 
they  are  acknowledged  in  that  character,  as  they  will 


24 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


scarcely  fail  to  be,  where  a  genuine  affection  of  truth 
exists  ;  and  as  to  ordination  or  inauguration,  the  illus- 
trating influx  is  always  to  be  viewed  as  preceding  and 
not  following  it,  and  nothing  is  clearer  from  the  writings 
of  the  New  Church  than  that  this  influx,  which  is  con- 
fined to  no  one  class,  carries  with  it  all  competent 
authority  to  teach. 

We  object,  therefore,  to  the  restricted  application  of 
the  above  Canon  to  the  so-called  clergy,  from  the  fact, 
that  evidence  exists  in  abundance,  going  to  show  that 
the  "  teaching  of  doctrine  from  the  Word"  is  the  duty  of 
every  member  of  the  church,  just  in  proportion  as  he 
understands  it,  and  is  prompted  by  the  love  of  charitable 
use  to  declare  it.  But  as  in  this  position  I  shall  undoubt- 
edly appear  to  run  counter  to  an  express  injunction  of  our 
enlightened  author,  it  will  be  expedient  to  present  that 
injunction  distinctly  in  this  connection. 

"  Good  may  be  insinuated  into  another  by  every  one  in  the  country ; 
but  not  truth,  except  those  who  are  teaching  ministers  (ministri 
docentes)  ;  if  others  insinuate  truth,  it  gives  birth  to  heresies,  and  the 
church  is  disturbed  and  rent  asunder.  Every  one  should  first  acquire 
truth  to  himself  from  the  doctrine  of  the  church,  and  afterward  from 
the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and  this  truth  must  be  the  object  of  his  faith." 
—A.  C.  6822. 

On  this  passage  it  may  be  remarked,  that  its  genuine 
scope  can  only  be  determined  by  viewing  it  in  its  rela- 
tions to  the  context.  It  occurs  in  a  scries  of  articles  ap- 
pended to  several  chapters  of  the  exposition  of  Exodus, 
in  which  the  author  is  treating  at  considerable  length  of 
the  doctrine  of  Charity.  In  his  definitions  of  neighbor 
he  informs  us  that  the  term  is  not  to  be  restricted  to  a 
single  individual  but  has  an  ascending  purport,  implying 
successively  an  individual,  a  society,  a  man's  country, 
the  church,  the  Lord's  kingdom,  and  the  Lord  Himself. 
On  each  of  these  heads  he  expatiates  somewhat  fully, 
showing  the  laws  of  charity  in  reference  to  each,  and  the 
grounds  upon  which  tliey  rest.  The  passage  in  question 
occurs  in  what  is  said  of  the  church  as  a  neighbor,  but 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


25 


in  the  use  of  the  term  "  country,"  we  recognize  an  allusion 
to  what  had  been  just  before  affirmed  respecting  the 
neighbor  viewed  in  that  capacity.  Otherwise  we  see  not 
clearly  how  to  account  for  the  peculiar  phraseology  em- 
ployed :  "  Good  may  be  insinuated  into  another  by 
every  one  in  the  country."  "  By  every  one  in  the 
church''^  would  seem  to  have  been  the  more  natural  ex- 
pression, provided  the  sense  commonly  ascribed  to  the 
language  be  the  true  one.  But  taken  in  its  relations,  the 
idea  we  receive  from  it  is,  that  while  every  citizen  of  a 
country  is  a  minister  or  servant  to  the  community  in 
which  he  dwells,  and  bound  to  promote  its  interests, 
secular  or  sacred,  yet  all  are  not  equally  qualified  for 
every  department  of  service.  In  whatever  concerns  the 
inculcation  of  good,  no  restriction  is  enjoined.  Every 
one,  without  exception,  is  at  full  liberty  to  do  all  in  his 
power  towards  insinuating  this  divine  principle  into  the 
minds  of  his  fellow-men.  But  in  regard  to  truth,  or  that 
system  of  religious  doctrines  which  is  usually  understood 
by  the  term,  the  case  is  otherwise ;  there,  while  there  is 
a  general  duty  of  imparting  religious  truth  in  an  informal 
way,  and  according  to  the  measure  of  attainment,  yet  it 
is  more  expedient  and  more  orderly  that  this  function 
should  be  systematically  discharged  by  those  who  are 
ministri^  i.  e.,  ministers  or  servants  of  a  higher  degree, 
to  wit,  ministri  docentes  or  teaching  ministers — a  class  of 
men  not  necessarily  constituted  into  a  distinct  order,  but 
men  possessed  of  certain  qualifications,  enabling  them  to 
perform  this  use  to  better  advantage  than  others,  because 
from  their  longer  acquaintance  with  the  docti-ines,  from 
their  deeper  study  of  them,  and  from  their  conjoining 
with  their  doctrines  an  exemplary  life,  their  instructions 
would  naturally  have  more  weight.  The  distinction  to 
which  we  allude  is,  perhaps,  recognized  in  the  following 
passage  :  "By  the  Lord's  disciples  are  meant  those  who 
are  instructed  by  the  Lord  in  the  goods  and  truths  of 
doctrine  ;  but  by  apostles  they  who,  after  they  are 
instructed,  teach  them,"  A.  E.  79.  "VVe  shall  soon  pro- 
ceed to  show  that  this  is  the  true  representative  function 


26 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


of  apostles,  and  also  of  prophets.  With  those  persons 
in  a  community  who  were  less  conversant  with  the  truth 
in  its  various  bearings,  there  would  be  more  liability  to 
crude  conceptions  and  enunciations,  by  which  heresies 
might  be  engendered,  and  "  confusion  and  every  evil 
work"  ensue.  Let,  then,  the  formal  teaching  of  truth 
devolve  more  especially  upon  those  whom  the  Lord,  by 
a  longer  training  in  his  school,  has  qualified  to  take  the 
lead  in  the  instruction  of  their  fellow-men,  and  who  have 
thus  been  empowered  to  act  as  ministri  docentes  to  their 
fellow-christians.  The  ability  with  which  they  are  gifted 
to  perform  the  office,  and  the  recognition  of  this  ability 
on  the  part  of  their  brethren,  is  what  constitutes  the 
essence  of  the  appointment.  These  "  teaching  minis- 
ters," i.  e.  servants,  having  been  peculiarly  taught  of 
God,  are  thereby  qualified  to  teach  their  novitiate  bre- 
thren, and  these  latter  are  inhibited  from  exercising  the 
function  simply  from  their  present  inability  to  do  it  with 
advantage  to  the  cause.  The  words,  however,  do  not 
imply  60  much  an  imperative  veto  as  a  dehortation  ap- 
pealing to  the  modesty  and  good  sense  of  the  neophytes 
of  the  church  not  to  "  meddle  with  things  too  high  for 
them."  As  they  advance  in  spiritual  knowledge  and 
experience,  they  will  grow  in  the  teaching  capacity,  and 
thus  be  enabled  in  due  time  to  take  the  place  of  their 
elders.  Accordingly,  it  is  said  in  the  extract  under  con- 
sideration, '•'■Every  one  ought  first  to  acquire  truth  to 
himself  from  the  doctrine  of  the  church,  and  afterwards 
from  the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and  this  truth  must  be  the 
object  of  his  faith."  That  is,  he  is  first  to  acquire  truth 
before  he  undertakes  to  teach — before  he  can  justly  lay 
claim  to  the  character  of  a  "  teaching  minister" — for  all 
such  are  to  officiate  on  the  ground  of  their  superior  apti- 
tude for  discharging  the  duty,  and  not  by  virtue  of  any 
instituting  or  inaugurating  rite. 

It  is  thus  that  we  are  forced  to  understand  the  drift  of 
the  paragraph  cited,  and  we  now  proceed  to  adduce  our 
reasons,  in  the  form  of  a  series  of  distinct  quotations,  for 
believing  that  any  other  mode  of  interpreting  the  pas- 


THE  I'RIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


27 


sage  brings  our  author  into  the  most  pointed  contradiction 
to  himself.    And  here  we  add  an  explanatoiy  remark. 

It  will  no  doubt  appear  a  problem  why  we  refuse  to 
receive  the  various  passages  from  Swedenborg  usually 
cited  in  support  of  a  priesthood  in  that  sense  which  they 
seem  to  bear  on  their  face,  and  in  which  they  have 
always  been  received  and  acted  upon  in  the  New  Church. 
To  this  we  reply,  that  it  is  for  the  simple  reason  that  it 
would  make  Swedenborg  inconsistent  with  himself.  To 
our  mind  nothing  is  clearer  than  that  the  general  tenor 
of  his  writings  is  at  variance  with  the  literal  import  of 
the  specific  paragraphs  in  question.  This  apparent  dis- 
crepancy is  never  alluded  to,  nor  would  seem  ever  to  be 
recognized  by  the  opposite  school,  but  it  is  exceedingly 
plain  to  us,  and  we  feel  bound  to  adopt  such  a  construc- 
tion of  the  author's  language  as  will  at  least  make  him 
consistent  with  himself  That  which  we  have  indicated 
above  is  to  our  own  minds  satisfactory  on  this  score ;  if 
others  dissent  they  no  doubt  feel  competent  to  assign 
valid  reasons  therefor,  and  such  reasons  we  shall  always 
feel  bound  candidly  to  weigh. 

We  have  already  dwelt  at  length  upon  the  position 
that  the  priests  and  Levites  of  the  Jewish  dispensation 
represented  principles  and  not  persons.  The  Apostles  of 
the  New  Testament  have  a  like  representative  import. 

"  By  the  twelve  apostles  are  represented  and  signified  all  in  the 
church  who  are  in  truths  derived  from  good  ;  thus  also,  all  truths  de- 
rived from  good  from  which  the  church  is ;  and  by  each  apostle  in 
particular  is  represented  and  signified  some  specific  principle.  Thus, 
by  Peter  is  represented  and  signified  faith  ;  by  James,  charity  ;  and 
by  John,  the  good  of  charity,  or  the  good  of  love." — A.  E.  8. 

We  need  not  say  how  incongruous  would  be  the  insti- 
tution of  a  trinal  order  of  persons  on  the  ground  of  this 
statement,  and  yet,  why  is  there  not  as  much  warrant  for 
it  as  for  the  appointment  of  such  an  order  on  the  ground 
of  the  representative  character  of  Aaron,  the  Priests,  and 
the  Levites  under  the  old  economy  ? 

"  By  the  apostles  are  signified  thot<e  who  tench  the  tratlif  of  the 
church."— A.  E.  100. 


28 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGHSIP. 


"  Apostles  are  so  called  because  they  are  sent  to  teach,  and  to  evan- 
gelize concerning  the  Lord  ;  hence  it  appears  what  is  meant  by  apostles 
in  the  AVord,  namely,  not  the  twelve  apostles  who  were  sent  by  the 
Lord  to  teach  concerning  Him  and  His  Kingdom,  but  all  those  who  are 
in  the  truths  of  the  church." — /(/. 

"By  the  twelve  disciples  are  represented  all  who  are  principled  in 
goods  and  truths  from  the  Lord." — A.  C.  9942. 

"  By  apostles  are  not  understood  apostles,  but  all  who  teach  the  goods 
and  truths  of  the  church." — A.  R.  79. 

"  Here,  then,  we  have  the  representative  bearing  of 
the  twelve  apostles,  and  not  a  syllable  occurs  to  show 
that  they  were  intended  to  shadow  forth  a  distinct  order 
of  men  apart  from  the  general  brotherhood  of  the  church. 
It  is  palpable  that  they  denote  all  those  who,  by  being 
indoctrinated  and  principled  in  the  goods  and  truths  of 
the  church,  are  made  capable  of  imparting  them  to 
others,  or,  in  other  words,  of  becoming  "  teaching  min- 
isters." 

The  representative  significance  of  prophets  is  equiva- 
lent to  that  of  apostles,  to  wit,  that  of  teachers  of  truth  ; 
and  Swedenborg  remarks  in  regard  to  priests  that  their 
office  was  that  of  "  explaining  the  law  divine,  and  teach- 
ing, 071  which  occasion  they  were  at  the  same  thne  pro- 
phetsP  The  work,  therefore,  of  imparting  doctrinal 
truth  clothes  one  spiritually  with  the  prophetic  character. 

"  To  prophecy  signifies  to  teach  in  the  AVord,  because  by  a  prophet, 
in  the  supreme  sense,  is  understood  the  Lord  as  to  the  Word.  Hence 
by  prophesying  is  signified  to  teach  the  Word  and  doctrine  from  the 
JVord."—A.  E.  624. 

"  So  in  Amos,  iii.  7,  8  :  '  Surely  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  not  do  a 
word  without  revealing  his  secret  unto  his  servants  the  prophets.  The 
lion  hath  roared,  who  will  not  fear?  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  spoken, 
who  can  but  prophecy  V  Here  by  the  Lord  Jehovah  not  doing  a  word 
without  revealing  his  secret  to  his  servants  the  prophets,  is  signified, 
that  the  Lord  opens  the  interior  things  of 'the  word  and  of  doctrine  to 
those  who  are  in  truths  from  good  ;  by  revealing  his  secret  are  signified 
the  illustration  and  opening  of  the  interior  things  of  the  Word  ;  by  his 
servants  the  prophets,  are  signified  those  who  are  in  the  truths  of  doc- 
trine,.and  ^ho  receive." — A.  E.  60L 


THE  rRIKSTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


29 


"  By  priests  are  understood  those  who  teach  life  and  lead  to  good , 
and  by  iiroj)liets  those  who  teach  truths  by  which  they  are  to  be  led — 
in  a  \Yord,  prophets  are  to  teach,  and  priests  to  lead." — A.  E.  624. 

"  By  the  prophets  mentioned  here  (Ezek.  xiii.  2,  3,  8)  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  Word,  are  understood  in  the  spiritual  sense  all  who  are  led 
by  the  Lord,  for  with  them  the  Lord  flows  in  and  reveals  to  them  the 
arcana  of  the  "W^ord,  whether  they  teach  them  or  not,  wherefore  such 
are  signified  by  prophets  in  the  spiritual  sense." — A.  E.  624. 

Such,  then,  is  the  spiritual  import  of  apostles  and  pro- 
phets in  the  writings  of  the  New  Church  ;  and  as  that 
church  is  a  spiritual  church,  it  is  doubtless  a  spiritual  office 
which  is  designated  by  these  terms.  The  function  indicated 
is,  indeed,  to  be  performed  more  especially  by  a  class  of 
men  peculiarly  adapted,  from  interior  endowments  and 
elevated  states,  to  the  work,  but  still  not  so  exclusively 
by  them  as  absolutely  to  preclude  all  others,  and  thus  to 
lay  a  claim  to  a  monopoly  of  the  use.  This,  we  should 
suppose,  could  hardly  be  maintained  in  their  behalf  with 
such  passages  as  the  following  before  our  eyes — passages 
that  evidently  apply  to  every  one  who  professes  to  be 
governed  by  the  laws  of  the  Lord's  kingdom.  Their 
drift,  it  will  be  seen,  is  to  inculcate  the  communication 
of  truth  and  good  as  an  exercise  of  spiritual  charity.  In 
the  spiritual  sense /ee<^m(7  the  hungry,  giving  drink  to 
the  thirsty,  and  clothing  the  naked,  is  but  another  mode 
of  conveying  the  idea  of  this  very  duty. 

"  By  Jesus  saying  thi-ec  times  to  Peter,  '  Lovest  thou  me  V  and 
Peter  saying  three  times, '  I  love  thee,'  and  Jesus  then  saying, '  Feed 
my  lambs,'  and  '  Feed  my  sheep,'  is  signified,  that  they  who  are  in  faith 
derived  from  love  ought  to  instruct  those  who  are  in  the  good  of  love  to 
the  Lord,  and  m  the  good  of  chanty  towards  their  neighbor  ;  for  they 
who  are  in  faith  derived  fi-om  love  are  also  in  truths,  and  they  who  are 
thence  in  truths,  instruct  concerning  good  and  lead  to  good." — A.E.  9. 

"  By  giving  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  the  little  ones  is  signified  to  teach 
truth  from  spiritual  innocence,  and  also  to  instruct  the  innocent  in 
truths."—^.  E.  624. 

"  '  If  thou  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the  afaicted 
soul ;  then  shall  thy  light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy  darkness  be  as  the 
4 


30 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


noon  day,'  Is.  kiii.  10.  In  these  words  is  described  the  exercise  of 
charity  towards  the  neighbor,  in  Ihis  case  towards  those  who  are  in 
ignorance  and  at  the  same  time  desirous  of  knowing  truths,  and  grieved 
on  account  of  the  falsities  which  occupy  the  mind  ;  and  that  with 
those  who  are  in  that  charity,  falsities  shall  be  shaken  oif,  and  truths 
give  light  and  shine.  Charity  towards  those  who  are  in  ignorance, 
and  who  at  the  same  time  are  desirous  of  knowing  truths,  is  under- 
stood by  '  if  thou  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,'  the  hungry 
denoting  those  who  desire,  and  soul  denoting  the  intelligence  of  truth 
instructing.  That  it  is  thus  to  instruct  those  who  are  grieved  on  ac- 
count of  the  falsities  which  occupy  the  mind,  is  signified  by  '  and 
satisfy  the  afflicted  soul ;'  that  with  those  who  are  in  such  charity, 
ignorance  shall  be  dissipated,  and  truths  shine,  and  give  light,  is  under- 
stood by, '  then  shall  thy  light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy  darkness  be 
as  the  noon  day.'  Obscurity  signifies  the  ignorance  of  the  spiritual 
mind,  and  darkness  the  ignorance  of  the  natural  mind  ;  light  signifies 
truth  in  the  light,  in  like  manner  noon  day.  In  such  illumination  are 
they  who,  from  charity,  or  spiritual  affection,  instruct  those  who  are  in 
falsities  from  igiwrance,  for  that  charity  is  the  receptacle  of  the  influx 
of  light  or  truth  from  the  Lord.  Again  : '  Is  not  this  the  fast  which 
I  have  chosen  ?  to  loose  the  bands  of  wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy 
burdens,  and  to  let  the  oppressed  go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every 
yoke  ?  Is  it  not  to  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  ye  bring 
the  poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house  ?  when  thou  seest  the  naked, 
that  thou  cover  him  ;  and  that  thou  hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own 
flesh,'  Iviii.  6,  7.  Similar  things  are  understood  by  these  words  :  for, 
by  dealing  bread  to  the  hungry,  is  signified  that  from  charity  they 
should  communicate  to  and  instruct  those  who  are  in  ignorance,  and 
who  at  the  same  time  are  desirous  of  knowing  truths.  To  bring  the 
poor  that  are  cast  out  into  the  house,  signifies  to  amend  and  restore 
those  who  are  in  falsities,  and  thence  in  grief." — A.  E.  386. 

ii," '  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and 
ye  gave  me  no  drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in.'  Here 
by_  hungering  and  thirsting  are  signified  to  be  in  ignorance  and  in 
spiritual  want,  and  hy  giving  to  eat  and  drink,  are  signified  to  instruct 
and  to  enlighten  from  spiritual  affection  or  charity  ;  wherefore  it  is  also 
said, '  I  was  a  stranger,  and  yc  took  me  in,'  for  by  stranger  is  signified 
those  who  are  out  of  the  church,  and  desire  to  be  instructed  and  receive 
the  doctrines  thereof,  and  live  according  to  tJtem." — A.  E.  386. 

"  In  the  Word  where  mention  is  made  of  borrowing  and  lending,  it 
signifies  to  be  instructed  and  to  instruct,  from  the  afi'ection  of  charity  ; 
as  in  Matt.  v.  42, '  Give  to  every  one  that  asketh  of  thee,  and  from  him 
that  is  desirous  to  borrow  of  thee,  turn  not  thou  away.'  By  asking 
and  desiring  to  borrow,  and  by  giving  and  receiving  what  is  borrowed, 
is  meant  </te  communication  of  celestial  goods,  which  are  the  knowledges 
of  good  and  truth."— ^.  C.  9174. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


31 


"  Lending  denotes  to  communicate  the  goods  of  heaven  from  the  affec- 
tion of  charity,  thus  to  instruct  those  who  being  in  ignorance  of  truth,  and 
yet  in  the  desire  of  learning,  ought  to  be  instructed." — A.  C.  9209. 

Wlio  can  gainsay  the  inference  which  we  draw  from 
this,  that  the  duty  of  teacliing,  and  that,  too,  of  teaching 
"doctrines  from  the  "Word,"  is  actually  incumbent  upon 
every  one  who  is  amenable  to  the  Lord's  laws  of  charity? 
How  is  it  possible  to  restrict  this  duty  to  a  clerical  caste, 
or  to  suppose  that  Swedenborg  would  so  stultify  himself  as 
absolutely  to  forbid  the  insinuation  or  inculcation  of  truth 
to  all  save  a  consecrated  class  in  the  church  ?  At  the 
same  time,  we  perceive  nothing  in  this  view  inconsistent 
with  a  more  special  office  of  instruction  to  be  exercised 
by  those  who  are  best  qualified  for  it.  This  office,  if  we 
mistake  not,  was  particularly  represented  by  the  Levites, 
who  had  no  inheritance  assigned  them  among  the  tribes, 
but  who  were  scattered,  as  a  kind  of  leaven  of  charitable 
use,  throughout  the  mass  of  the  people.  The  general 
significance  of  that  tribe  is  spiritual  love  or  charity  going 
forth  in  good  works  towards  the  neighbor. 

"  The  reason  why  the  tribe  of  Levi  signifies  good  works  is,  because 
spiritual  love  or  charity  consists  in  performing  goods,  which  are  good 
works  ;  essential  charity,  viewed  in  itself,  is  the  affection  of  truth  and 
good,  and  where  that  affection  is,  there  is  a  life  according  to  truths  and 
goods,  for  affection  without  a  life  according  to  the  truths  and  goods, 
with  which  it  is  affected  has  no  existence.  Spiritual  affection  has 
for  its  end  the  Lord,  heaven,  and  life  eternal,  which  it  regards  in  the 
truths  and  goods ;  thus  it  loves  truths  and  goods  spiritually,  and 
when  this  affection  has  place  with  man,  he  then  loves  to  think  those 
things,  and  to  will  them,  consequently  to  live  according  to  them.  To 
live  according  to  goods  and  truths  is  understood  in  the  "Word  by  doing, 
and  the  life  itself,  by  the  deeds  and  works  which  are  so  often  mentioned 
in  the  "Word  :  these  therefore  are  what  were  represented  and  signified 
by  Levi  and  his  tribe  in  the  church  with  the  Jews.  Inasmuch  as  this 
affection  is  the  very  essential  principle  of  the  church,  therefore  the 
tribe  of  Levi  was  made  the  priesthood  ;  and  therefore  the  staff  of  Levi 
in  the  tent  of  the  assembly  blossomed  with  almonds  ;  and  for  the  same 
reason,  to  that  tribe  was  given  an  inheritance,  not  in  the  same  manner 
as  to  the  other  tribes,  but  amongst  each  of  them.  The  reason  why 
the  priesthood  was  given  to  the  tribe  of  Levi  was,  because  it  repre- 
sented, and  thence  signified,  love  and  charity.  Love  and  charity  con- 
stitute the  affection  of  spiritual  good  and  truth  ;  for  affection  being 


32 


TUE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


the  continuous  principle  of  love,  is  predicated  of  love  in  its  continuity. 
The  same  is  also  signified  in  the  "Word  by  the  priesthood  and  its  min- 
istry, this  afifection  being  the  essential  principle  of  the  church,  since 
where  it  is,  there  is  the  church,  and  where  it  is  not,  the  church  is  not ; 
for  the  affection  of  good  and  truth  is  the  very  spiritual  life  of  man,  for 
when  man  is  affected  with  good  and  truth,  he  is  then  in  good  and  truth 
as  to  life,  his  thought  itself  being  nothing  but  affection  in  a  varied 
form,  forasmuch  as  whatever  a  man  thinks  he  derives  from  his  afifection, 
to  think  without  affection  being  impossible.  Hence  then  it  may  appear 
why  the  tribe  of  Levi  was  appointed  to  the  priesthood." — A.  E.  444. 

The  blossoming  of  the  ahnomls  of  Aaron's  rod  is  fur- 
ther explained  in  what  follows  : 

"  By  almonds  are  signified  the  goods  of  charity,  for  by  these  all 
things  relating  to  the  church  flourish  in  man,  because  when  he  possesses 
these,  he  possesses  intelligence  and  faith,  inasmuch  as  he  is  then  in  the 
afifection  of  understanding  what  he  knows  from  the  Word,  and  in  the 
will  of  acting  according  to  it." — A.  E.  444. 

So  also  the  fact  of  their  not  receiving  separate  inheri- 
tance among  the  other  tribes  has  its  significance  unfolded 
in  the  same  connexion. 

"  Inasmuch  as  in  all  things  relating  to  the  church  there  must  be  the 
good  of  charity,  in  order  to  the  church  being  in  them  ;  and  inasmuch 
as  the  affection  itself  of  good  and  truth,  which  is  charity,  gives  the 
faculty  of  intelligeuce,  and  instructs  all,  therefore  the  tribe  of  Levi 
was  not  only  appointed  to  the  priesthood,  but  the  inheritance  granted 
to  that  tribe  was  amongst  all  the  other  tribes." — A.  E.  444. 

Comparing  the  above  last  cited  paragraph  with  that 
which  follows,  we  seem  to  ourselves  to  perceive  a  distinct 
intimation  that  the  priesthood  was  not  to  constitute  a 
separate  order,  but  was  to  be  an  operative  element  of 
charity  and  good  works  pervading  the  entire  body  of  the 
church. 

"  Inasmuch  as  the  Lord  as  to  all  the  work  of  salvation  was  repre- 
sented by  the  high  priest,  and  the  work  of  salvation  by  his  office,  which 
is  called  the  priesthood,  therefore  to  Aaron  and  his  sons  was  not  given 
inheritance  and  portion  among  the  people,  for  it  is  said  that  Jehovah 
God  was  to  them  an  inheritance  and  a  portion  ;  for  the  people  repre- 
sented heaven  and  the  church,  but  Aaron  with  his  sons  and  with  the 
Levites  represented  the  good  of  love  and  of  faith,  which  makes  heaven 


TIIK  rKIKSTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


33 


and  the  church,  thus  the  Lord  from  whom  that  good  is  derived  ;  there- 
fore the  land  was  ceded  to  the  people  for  an  inheritance,  but  not  to  the 
priests. /or  the  Lord  is  in  them,  but  not  amongst  them  as  07ie  and  distinct." 
—A.  C.  9809. 

What  can  we  gather  from  this  but  that  the  Levitical 
principle  in  the  church,  to  wit,  the  good  of  love  and  the 
fruits  of  charity,  is  the  most  direct  and  pregnant  repre- 
sentative of  the  Lord  himself,  and  that  this,  as  the  very 
life  of  the  church,  is  not  to  assume  a  distinct  and  isolated 
form,  but  is  to  be  diffused  as  a  vital  element  throughout 
the  entire  community  of  the  church,  as  were  the  Levites 
in  Israel  ?  As  before  remarked,  we  do  not  by  this  convey 
the  idea  that  this  Levitical  principle  exists  as  an  abstrac- 
tion, unimpersonated,  unembodied  in  the  church.  Not 
at  all  ;  we  recognize  it  in  the  forms  of  living  members 
of  the  church,  who  have  so  far  progressed  in  the  regene- 
rate life,  who  have  become  so  endowed  with  the  gifts  of 
knowledge  and  charity,  that  they  are  rendered  capable 
of  performing  those  spiritual  uses  to  their  brethren  which 
were  so  strikingly  shadowed  forth  by  the  functions  of 
the  sacred  tribe  in  the  literal  Israel.  What  but  this  is 
the  drift  of  the  ensuing  extracts  : 

"  Inasmuch,  a.s  already  observed,  as  every  man  learns  science,  intel- 
ligence, and  wisdom,  according  to  the  affection  of  good  and  truth 
which  he  possesses,  therefore  it  is  also  said  in  Moses, '  And  the  priests 
the  sons  of  Levi  shall  come  near ;  for  them  Jehovah  thy  God  hath 
chosen  to  minister  unto  him,  and  to  bless  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  and 
by  their  word  shall  every  controversy  and  every  stroke  be  tried,'  Deut. 
xxi.  5.  By  these  words  in  the  spiritual  sense,  is  signified,  that  the 
affection  of  good  and  truth,  which  is  charity,  ministers  to  the  Lord,  and 
teaches  those  things  which  pertain  to  the  church  and  to  worship,  and  dis- 
tinguishes falsities  from  truths,  and  evils  from  goods  ;  for  by  the  sons 
of  Levi,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  is  signified  the  affection  of  good  and 
"truth,  which  is  charity.  From  these  observations  it  may  appear,  that 
the  tribe  of  Levi  was  chosen  for  the  priesthood,  and  had  an  inheritance 
among  all  the  tribes,  not  because  that  tribe  was  better  than  the  other 
tribes,  but  because  it  represented  charity  in  act,  and  good  works, 
which  are  the  effects  of  all  good  and  truth  in  man." — A.  E.  444. 

"  Whereas  the  sons  of  Levi  signify  the  goods  and  truths  of  the 
church,  and  in  general,  the  spiritual  affection  of  truth  and  good,  there- 
4* 


34 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSIlir. 


fore  it  is  said  concerning  them, '  they  have  observed  thy  word,  and  kept 
thy  covenant ;  they  shall  teach  Jacob  thy  judgments,  and  Israel  thy 
law  ;'  by  which  is  signified  that  they  who  are  in  the  spiritual  affection 
of  truth  act  according  to  the  Word,  and  teach  the  goods  and  trutlis  of 
tlie  church,  for  the  spiritual  affection  itself  of  truth  is  what  does  and 
teaches,  inasmuch  as  the  Lord  flows  into  that  affection,  effecting  good 
in  man,  and  teaching  him  truth  :  the  Word  in  this  passage  signifying 
the  divine  truth,  and  to  observe  it  obviously  signifying  to  act  according 
to  it,  or  to  do  what  it  commands.  These  things  are  said  concerning 
Levi,  because  divine  truth,  which  is  the  AVord,  can  exist  only  with 
those  who  are  in  the  spiritual  affection  of  truth,  which  affection  con- 
sists in  loving  the  truth  itself,  and  esteeming  it  above  every  good  of 
the  world,  because  thereby  man  has  life  eternal,  which  cannot  be 
implanted  in  him  by  any  other  means  than  by  truths,  consequently  by 
the  Word,  for  by  the  Word  the  Lord  teaches  truths." — A.  E.  444. 

"  From  these  observations  it  may  be  seen  what  is  signified  in  the 
representative  sense  by  Levi  and  his  tribe,  namely,  the  good  of  charity, 
which  is  the  good  of  life,  likewise  the  spiritual  affection  of  good  and 
truth,  and,  in  the  supreme  sense,  the  Lord  as  to  spiritual  love." — 
A.  E.  444. 

From  the  scope  of  these  passages  we  know  not  for  our- 
selves how  to  resist  the  conclusion,  that  the  Levitical 
principle  in  the  church  does  ultimate  itself  in  tliat  course 
of  kindly  pastoral  care,  instruction,  and  spiritual  leading, 
which  is  the  native  impulse  of  the  aft'ectiou  above  de- 
scribed. To  confine  this  to  any  exclusive  order  of  men 
would  be  to  prescribe  an  ex  officio  charity,  which  is  as 
gross  an  anomaly  as  can  be  conceived. 

There  is  no  point  in  regard  to  which  we  are  more 
anxious  to  have  our  views  distinctly  apprehended  tlian 
that  which  respects  the  existence  of  a  priesthood  in  the 
church.  It  is  not  the  fact  of  a  priesthood,  but  the  I'ijid^ 
which  is  a  matter  of  debate  with  us.  We  fully  admit 
the  existence  of  the  institution,  but  we  deny  that  it  con- 
sists of  a  distinct  order  of  men,  standing  out  in  relief 
from  the  body  of  the  church,  exclusively  devoted  to 
sacerdotal  functions,  and  receiving  temporal  support 
therefrom  as  did  the  Jewish  priests  from  the  altar  which 
they  served.  It  is  this  particular  feature  of  the  prevail- 
ing theory  of  priesthood  to  which  we  object.  We  recog- 
nize no  such  distinction  as  now  every  where  obtains  be- 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


35 


tween  clergy  and  laitj.  "We  would  retain  every  thing 
that  is  essential  in  the  order,  and  reject  every  thing  that 
is  factitious.  What  we  regard  as  such  in  both  respects 
can  hardly  fail  to  appear  from  the  tenor  of  what  we  have 
already  said.  When  we  deny  the  existence  of  an  exter- 
nal priesthood  in  the  church,  we  do  not  of  course  design 
to  be  understood  as  implying  that  the  priesthood  is  not 
to  be  exercised  by  men  in  the  flesh,  and  who  are  of 
course  so  far  external,  but  we  have  constant  reference  to 
the  above-mentioned  distinction.  Our  meaning  is,  that 
we  do  not  admit  the  existence  of  a  priestly  order  as  vis- 
ibly distinct  from  the  laical.  The  true  priesthood,  we 
contend,  is  to  be  sought  for  in  the  body  of  the  laity,  and 
not  apart  from  it,  and  that  it  is  to  be  identified  by  the 
possession  of  certain  internal  states  and  endowments  re- 
presented by  the  priestly  function  under  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation. As  we  understand  this  external  representa- 
tive institute  to  be  abolished  under  the  dispensation  of 
the  New  Jerusalem,  we  find  no  authority  for  any  other 
priesthood  than  that  to  which  we  now  allude,  and  this  we 
feel  at  liberty  to  denominate  spiritual,  in  contradistinc- 
tion from  the  external  and  visible  above  described.  We 
say  this  to  cut  off  unequivocally  from  our  opponents  all 
possible  occasion  for  charging  us  with  a  total  and  un- 
qualified denial  of  a  priesthood  of  any  kind  whatever  in 
the  New  Church.  We  are  well  aware,  however,  that  the 
distinction  now  made  and  insisted  on  will  be  resolutely 
ignored  by  some  "  of  the  contrary  part,"  but  it  is  never- 
theless perfectly  sound  in  itself,  and  clearly  and  intelli- 
gibly stated. 

At  the  same  time,  we  cannot  be  ignorant  that  this  very 
position  will  be  most  strenuously  oppugned.  The  earnest 
advocates  for  the  opposite  view  admit  no  such  construc- 
tion of  Swedenborg's  language  respecting  the  abrogation 
of  representatives,  as  shall  involve  the  doing  away  of  the 
sacerdotal  order  in  the  church.  A  representative  priest- 
hood, it  is  contended,  must  always  of  necessity  exist  in 
the  cliurch,  and  that  priesthood  cannot  really  be  a  priest- 
hood unless  composed  of  men  formed  into  a  distinct  and 


36 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


privileged  caste.  This  point  has  been  elaborated  at  great 
length,  and  with  signal  ability,  by  the  Eev.  Mr.  De 
Charms,  in  the  "  ISTewchurchman — Extra"  (p.  416—4:73), 
but  still  with  results  to  our  minds  wholly  inconclusive. 
Wg  cannot  pursue  the  argument  in  detail,  but  its  effect 
is,  if  we  understand  it,  to  vacate  entirely  the  force  of  the 
following  and  many  similar  jjassages  from  our  enlight- 
ened author. 

"  The  Lord  '  abolished  the  representatives  of  the  Jewish  nation,  be- 
cause the  greatest  part  had  respect  to  himself — for  the  image  must 
vanish  when  the  efiBgy  itself  appears.  He  established,  therefore  a  new 
church,  which  should  not  be  led,  as  the  former  was,  by  representatives 
to  things  internal,  but  which  should  know  them  without  representa- 
tives.' "—A.  C.  4904. 

"  When  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  then  the  externals  which  re- 
presented were  abolished,  because  it  was  the  Lord  Himself  whom  the 
representatives  of  the  church  shadowed  forth  and  signified,  and  where- 
as they  were  external  things,  and,  as  it  were,  veilings  or  coverings, 
within  which  was  the  Lord,  therefore  when  He  came,  these  coverings 
were  taken  away,  and  He  Himself  appeared  manifest  with  heaven  and 
with  the  church,  in  which  He  is  the  all  in  all." — A.  E.  700. 

"  By  the  ai'k  is  signified  the  representative  of  the  church  in  general, 
in  like  manner  as  by  the  daily  or  continual  [sacrifice]  in  Daniel,  which 
was  to  cease  at  the  Lord's  coming  into  the  world  :  in  this  sense  it  is 
mentioned  in  Jeremiah  :  '  I  will  give  you  pastors  according  to  my 
heart,  and  they  shall  feed  you  with  knowledge  and  intelligence ;  and  it 
shall  come  to  pass  when  ye  shall  be  multiplied,  and  bear  fruit  in  the 
land,  in  those  days  they  shall  no  more  say,  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of 
Jehovah,  neither  shall  it  come  up  upon  the  heart,  nor  shall  they  make 
mention  thereof,  neither  shall  they  desire  it,  neither  shall  it  be  repaired 
any  more,'  iii.  15,  16.  These  things  are  said  concerning  the  advent  of 
the  Lord,  and  concerning  the  abolition  of  the  representative  rites  of 
the  Jewish  church  which  should  then  take  place :  that  the  interior 
things  of  the  church  should  be  manifested,  which  were  veiled  over  by 
the  representative  external  rites,  and  that  they  should  then  become  in- 
terior or  spiritual  men,  is  signified  by  pastors  being  given  according  to 
the  heart  of  the  Lord,  who  shall  feed  them  with  knowledge  and  intel- 
ligence ;  by  pastors  are  understood  those  who  teach  good  and  lead 
thereto  by  truths  :  the  multiplication  of  truth  and  fructification  of 
good,  is  signified  by,  then  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  ye  shall  be  mul- 
tiplied and  bear  fruit  in  the  land  in  those  days  :  that  then  conjunction 
with  the  Lord  will  be  by  the  interior  things  of  the  Word  and  not  by 
things  exterior,  which  only  signified  and  represented  things  interior,  is 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


37 


signified  by,  they  shall  no  more  say,  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  Jeho- 
vah, the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  Jehovah  there  denoting  the  externals 
(>f  worship,  which  were  then  to  be  abolished,  the  same  as  by  the  daily 
or  continual  [sacrifice]  which  was  to  cease,  as  mentioned  in  Daniel, 
cluip.  viii.  13  ;  chap.  xi.  31  ;  chap.  xii.  11 :  that  there  was  to  be  no 
longer  external  worship,  but  internal,  is  signified  by,  it  shall  not  come 
into  the  heart,  neither  shall  they  make  mention  thereof,  neither  shall 
they  desire  it,  neither  shall  it  be  repaired  any  more." — A.  E.  700. 

"  After  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  however,  when  external  rites  were 
abolished,  and  representatives  consequently  ceased,  these  were  no  longer 
changed  in  heaven  into  corresponding  representatives  ;  for  as  man  be- 
comes internal,  and  is  instructed  in  internal  things,  then  externals  are 
as  nothing  to  him,  for  he  then  knows  what  is  sacred,  as  charity,  and 
the  faith  grounded  therein.  From  these  internal  principles  therefore 
his  externals  are  now  regarded,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  how 
much  of  charity  and  of  faith  towards  the  Lord  is  in  them.  Wherefore, 
since  the  Lord's  advent,  man  is  no  longer  considered  in  heaven  in  refer- 
ence to  externals,  but  to  internals ;  and  if  any  one  be  regarded  as  to 
his  external,  it  is  solely  because  he  is  in  simplicity,  and  in  this  state  has 
innocence  and  charity,  which  are  introduced  by  the  Lord  into  externals, 
or  into  his  external  worship,  without  his  consciousness." — A.  C.  1003. 

All  this  would  seem  to  be  sufficiently  explicit,  and  its 
scope  is  so  palpably  adverse  to  the  prevalent  idea  of  a  re- 
presentative priesthood  continued  under  the  iSTew  Dis- 
pensation, that  it  is  no  wonder  that  all  the  logical  forces 
of  the  upholders  of  the  priesthood  are  concentrated  to 
the  task  of  explaining  away  its  obvious  import.  The  on- 
ward march  of  the  hierarchical  argument  is  terribly  im- 
j)eded  by  this  huge  rock  lying  directly  in  the  way,  and 
unless  it  can  be  blasted,  or  tunneled,  or  triturated,  or  dis- 
solve by  some  kind  of  dialectic  acid,  the  whole  host 
mnst  come  to  a  dead  stand.  "We  must  say,  in  justice  to 
Mr.  D.,  that  Hannibal  never  labored  more  industriously 
in  applying  his  solvent  to  the  granite  of  the  Alps,  to  effect 
a  passage  for  his  troops,  than  does  our  esteemed  brother 
to  overcome  the  rocky  resistance  of  the  above  class  of 
paragraphs.  Indeed,  he  shows  a  marvellous  tact  in 
eliciting  from  them  a  meaning  diametrically  opposite  to 
that  which  they  bear  in  the  sense  of  the  letter,  and 
making  them  confirm  the  very  tenet  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  confute.    "  Can  any  thing  be  clearer  than  this 


38 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KIKG3HIP. 


in  showing  that  the  external  representative  is  not  wholly 
done  away  ?" 

Yet  we  would  by  no  means  insinuate  a  disparaging 
idea  of  the  course  of  Mr.  D.'s  reasoning  on  this  score. 
It  involves,  in  our  opinion,  many  suggestions  of  undeni- 
able truth,  and  of  great  weight,  and  such  as  evince  a 
most  profound  acquaintance  with  the  doctrines  and  phil- 
osophy of  the  JSTew  Church.  But  from  his  main  conclu- 
sions we  are  obliged  to  dissent,  because  they  strike  us  as 
directly  at  variance  with  the  tenor  of  the  above  quota- 
tions. He  contends,  among  other  things,  that  the  Jewish 
representatives  were  not  so  much  done  away  as  fulfilled, 
under  the  Christian  dispensation — that  consequently, 
"  every  representative  form  which  is  contained  in  the 
letter  of  the  Word,  and  which  may  represent  the  inter- 
nals of  the  Christian  church,  may  be  used  in  external 
Christian  worship,  provided  the  Christian,  at  the  time  of 
its  use,  knows,  thinks  of,  and  regards  in  it,  its  spiritual 
meaning" — that  the  serpent  of  the  old  ceremonies  is  to  be 
made  a  staff  of  and  lifted  up  in  the  holy  acts  of  divine 
worship — that  "  among  the  representatives  thus  lifted  up 
will  undoubtedly  be  priestly  offices ^iniestly  functionaries, 
and  2)riestly  yarments^'' — that  as  in  all  true  worship 
"  there  must  be  an  external  as  well  as  an  internal,  there- 
fore external  representative  rites  are  not  to  be  wholly 
done  away  in  the  Christian  church,  so  that  its  worship  is 
to  be  internal  alone ;  but  every  external  rite  may  be 
adopted  from  the  letter  of  the  AYord,  and  even  from  the 
Jewish  ritual,  so  far  as  that  is  representative  of,  and  cor- 
respondential  to,  divine  things  in  the  Word — provided 
they  are  congruent  with  the  Christian,  as  an  internal, 
church," — that  consequently,  "  the  Christian  may  have 
Scriptural  forms  pictured  and  sculptured  to  his  eyes — 
aromatic  odors,  with  the  forms  of  flowers  that  produce 
them  in  nature,  or  the  incense  of  their  burning  extracts 
as  products  of  art,  for  his  nostrils — sweet  sounds  of  har- 
monious choral  music  for  his  ears,  and  sacred  and  corres- 
pondential  appliances  to  every  sense" — that  all  these  re- 
presentatives are  legitimated  under  the  present  dispensa- 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


39 


tion  "  in  order  to  give  to  the  church  the  vastly  increased 
powers  of  the  ultimate  principle  of  the  mind,  in  develop- 
ing, forming,  perfecting,  and  securing  all  her  internal 
principles"— that  there  is  an  important  distinction  be- 
tween true^  pure,  real,  or  genuine,  and  were  or  external 
representatives,  and  that  "  when  the  Lord  abrogated  the 
Jewish  ritual,  he  merely  abolished  idolatrous  representa- 
tives, thus  removed  the  Judaic  and  Hebraic  superaddi- 
tions  to  genuine  or  internal  representatives,  or  cracked 
the  shell  so  as  to  give  these  true  representatives  as  the 
kernel  to  the  Christian  church  ;  and  as  priestly  offices, 
and  whatever  had  relation  to  those  functions,  were  among 
the  true  representatives  of  the  Ancient  Church,  therefore 
these  were  not  abolished  in  the  Christian  church  by  the 
abrogation  of  the  Jewish  ritual." 

These  ideas  are  greatly  and  very  ingeniously  expanded 
in  the  work  to  which  we  refer,  and  being  enunciated  in 
a  powerfully  persuasive  strain,  and  mingled  with  a  goodly 
measure  of  genuine  truth,  one  is  led  to  distrust  himself 
in  calling  them  in  question,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
feels  assured  that  if  the  plain  declarations  of  Swedenborg 
are  to  be  received  as  true,  there  must  be  a  lurking  fallacy 
pervading  the  argument,  and  nullifying  its  force.  This 
fallacy,  if  we  mistake  not,  lies  in  Mr.  D.'s  views  of  the 
external  of  a  church  as  compared  with  its  inten^al. 
Thus,  for  instance,  he  cites  Swedenborg  as  affirming  that 
"  priestly  offices,  and  whatever  had  relation  to  their  func- 
tions," are  among  the  true,  and  therefore  essential,  exter- 
nals of  a  church.  This  we  are  compelled  to  deny,  and  to 
justify  this  denial  we  quote  the  context  at  length  in 
which  the  passage  occurs. 

"  The  first  Ancient  Church,  which  was  spread  far  and  wide  over  the 
face  of  the  globe,  particularly  iu  Asia,  in  process  of  time,  as  is  usual 
with  all  churches,  in  all  places,  grew  degenerate,  and  was  adulterated 
by  innovations,  both  as  to  its  external  and  its  internal  worship.  This 
was  the  case  in  various  countries,  and  this  was  owing  especially  to  the 
circumstance,  that  all  the  significatives  and  representatives  which  the 
Ancient  Church  received  by  oral  tradition  from  the  Most  Ancient 
Church,  all  which  had  respect  to  the  Lord  and  his  kingdom,  were 
turned  into  idolatrous  rites,  and  with  some  nations  into  magical  cere- 


40 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


monies.  To  prevent  the  destruction  which  hence  threatened  the  whole 
church,  it  was  permitted  by  the  Lord  that  a  significative  and  repre- 
sentative worship  should  be  again  restored  in  a  particular  country. 
This  was  effected  by  Heber  ;  and  this  worship  consisted  principally  in 
external  things.  The  external  things  employed  were  liigk  places, 
groves,  statues,  a7winti'ngs,  besides  the  establishment  of  priestly  offices, 
and  of  whatever  had  relation  to  their  functions  ;  together  with  various 
other  things  which  are  included  in  the  name  of  statutes  or  ordinances. 
The  internals  of  their  worship  were  doctrinals  derived  from  the  Ante- 
diluvians.—J.  C..1241. 

Now,  we  cannot,  for  ourselves,  perceive  in  this  specifi- 
cation of  externals  that  any  one  branch  of  them  is  of 
more  intrinsic  necessity  than  another ;  that  the  priestly 
ofiices  are  any  more  genidne  representatives  than  the 
high  places,  groves,  statues,  &c.,  with  which  they  are 
classed.  If  one  could  be  abolished,  we  see  no  reason  why 
the  other  could  not  be,  and  if  we  understand  our  author, 
they  were  equally  proscribed  by  the  genius  of  the  New 
Dispensation.  But  from  this  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
law  of  correspondences  is  touched,  or  that  the  whole  ob- 
jective universe  ceases  to  be  a  representative  theatre  for 
the  display  of  internal  and  spiritual  truths,  and  so  far  it 
is  certain  that  representatives  have  not  been  abolished.* 
Great  stress,  we  know,  is  laid  upon  the  statement  of  our 
author  that  both  kings  and  priests,  of  whatsoever  quality 
they  are,  represent  the  Lord  by  virtue  of  the  royal  and 
priestly  principles  appertaining  to  them,  which  of  course 
we  admit ;  but  we  are  at  a  loss  to  discover  why  this  re- 
presentative character  does  not  belong  as  well  to  the  kind 
of  priests  for  which  we  contend,  as  to  that  which  consti- 

*  We  are  happy  to  find  ourselves  here  in  accordance  with  a  writer  in  the 
"  N.  J.  Magazine"  (May,  1855)  who  \a  an  able  review  of  Rev.  Mr.  Benade'a 
Resignation  Sermon,  thus  remarks :—"  The  point  in  question  is  not  whether 
ministers  (priests)  and  other  things  are  representative, — for  no  cue  who  has 
read  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  can  deny  this, — but  the  question  is, 
whether  there  is  any  thing  in  the  doctrines  that  requires  us  to  establish 
ministers  (priests),  altars,  and  other  things  of  worship,  besides  Baptism  and 
the  Holy  Supper,  in  their  representative  character,  as  indispensable  parts  of 
our  worship.  In  the  general  sense,  the  Lord  did  not  abolish  representatives 
at  his  comiug.  Things  represent  now  just  as  much  as  they  ever  did, 
though  the  representative  is  not  seen.  He  only  abrogated  the  requirement 
to  use  any  representatives  except  Baptism  and  the  Holy  Supper." 


THE  PEIESTHCK)D  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


41 


tutes  Mr.  D.'s  ideal.  Cannot  tlie  spiritual  represent  tlie 
divine  ?  A  priest  of  the  New  Church  is  a  man  on  the 
earth,  and  so  for  is  a  visible  and  external  priest ;  but  his 
priesthood  is  to  be  sought  in  his  internal  character  and 
qualifications.  Is  he,  for  this  reason,  incapable  of  repre- 
senting the  Lord  ?  So  also  as  to  his  externals.  It  is  a 
bruited  apothegm  that  the  church  and  the  man  of  the 
cliurch  must  have  an  external  as  well  as  an  internal.  Un- 
doubtedly. But  what  then  ?  Because  a  man  is  a  spirit- 
ual man  has  he  no  external?  Because  the  true  priest- 
hood of  the  church  is  composed  of  spiritual  men  possessed 
of  certain  endowments,  and  undistinguished  from  the  so- 
called  laity,  has  that  priesthood  no  external  ?  Does  it  not 
stand  upon  the  ultimate  plane  ?  Is  it  not  embosomed  in 
the  natural  world ?  Have  not  such  men  bodies?  Do 
they  not  meet  for  worship  in  earthly  temples  ?  Do  they 
not  engage  corporeally  in  the  services  of  prayer,  praise, 
reading,  discoursing,  and  the  like,  and  are  not  these  ex- 
ternal things  in  respect  to  the  internal  principles  by 
which  they  are  prompted  ? 

Did  our  limits  permit,  it  would,  we  thint,  be  easy  to 
show  that  for  the  same  reason  that  Mr.  D.  and  those  of 
his  school  find  it  impossible  to  form  an  idea  of  any  other 
priest  than  one  who  is  set  apart  and  inducted  into  oflBce 
by  human  agency,  it  is  impossible  for  them  also  to  con- 
ceive of  any  other  representative  external  of  such  a  priest- 
hood than  the  paraphernalia  of  inaugurations,  vestments, 
pulpits,  litanies,  &c.,  as  to  all  which  we  see  nothing  in 
them,  but  the  shadows  of  things  which  we  are  now  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  richly  in  the  svhstance.  This  view  of  the 
subject,  we  are  well  aware,  will  be  regarded  as  crude 
and  superficial,  and  it  will  be  maintained  that  if  we  have 
not  just  such  an  idea  of  a  priest  of  the  New  Church  as 
that  which  is  sketched  out  for  ns,  we  have  no  idea  of  a 
priest  at  all.  If  so,  we  submit.  The  imputation  will 
not  trouble  us.  "We  know  that  Swedenborg  meant  what 
he  said  when  he  said  that  the  Lord  at  his  coming  into 
the  world  "  abrogated  the  representatives,  which  were 
all  external,  and  instituted  a  church  of  which  all  things 
should  be  internal." 

5 


42 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP, 


We  have  not,  in  this  connection,  adverted  to  the  argu- 
ment founded  upon  the  chapter  entitled  "  Ecclesiastical 
and  Civil  Government,"  in  the  "  Heavenly  Doctrines," 
although  well  aware  that  that  chapter  is  regarded  per- 
haps by  the  mass  of  New  Churchmen  as  a  divinely  ap- 
pointed platform  for  the  government,  sacred  and  secular, 
of  the  New  Jerusalem.  We  have  waived  a  reference  to 
this  portion  of  Swedenborg's  writings  because  we  do  not 
regard  it  in  the  light  in  which  it  is  viewed  by  the  advo- 
cates of  the  priesthood  as  a  separate  caste.  The}'  look 
upon  it  as  laying  down  a  distinct  programme  for  the 
ecclesiastical  polity  of  the  New  Church,  just  as  they 
regard  all  the  other  chapters  of  the  work  as  a  divine  code 
of  doctrine  and  an  authoritative  rule  of  life  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church.  This  they  infer  from  certain  pas- 
sages in  which  the  author  says,  "  This  doctrine  is  from 
heaven,  inasmuch  as  it  is  from  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word,  and  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  is  the  same 
with  the  doctrine  which  is  in  heaven."  Again,  "  I  pro- 
ceed to  the  doctrine  itself,  which  is  for  the  New  Church, 
and  which  is  called  Heaveuly  Doctrine,  because  it  was 
revealed  to  me  out  of  heaven  ;  for  to  deliver  this  doctrine 
is  the  design  of  this  work."  That  this  work  is,  in  its 
general  scope,  designed  as  an  exponent  of  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  the  New  Church,  we,  of  course,  cannot 
doubt  and  still  belong  to  that  church  ;  but  that  this  par- 
ticular chapter  is  specifically  intended  as  a  diredory  to 
the  New  Church  in  the  matter  of  its  civil  or  ecclesiastical 
government  we  are  by  no  means  prepared  to  admit,  and 
that  for  the  following  reasons  : — 

1.  It  is  to  our  mind  disi)roved  by  what  our  illumined 
author  himself  says  in  regard  to  the  general  cliaracter  of 
the  work  : — "  As  to  what  concerns  the  following  doctrine, 
this  also  is  from  heaven,  inasmuch  as  it  is  from  the  sjn- 
ritual  sense  of  the  Word,  and  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word  is  the  same  with  that  wliich  is  in  heaven."  How  is 
this  chapter  related  to  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  ? 
To  all  the  other  chapters  of  the  work  are  appended 
copious   extracts   from   the  Arcana  confirming  and 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


43 


illustrating  its  various  positions,  but  to  this  closing 
chapter  there  is  not  a  single  reference  annexed.  More- 
over, the  main  subject  matter  of  the  chapter  is  Kings 
and  Priests,  of  which  the  internal  sense  is  Truth  and 
Good.  Why  are  not  tlie  latter  the  subject  treated  of,  if 
the  doctrine  involved  is  the  doctrine  of  the  spiritual 
sense  ?  How  can  the  New  Church,  if  it  be  a  truly  spirit- 
ual church,  founded  upon  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word, 
know  any  other  than  a  spiritual  priesthood  and  a  spirit- 
ual kingsliip  ? 

2.  The  opening  sentence  of  the  chapter  strikes  us  as 
disclosing  its  genuine  drift : — "  There  are  two  classes  of 
affairs  amongst  men  which  ought  to  be  conducted  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  order."  There  is  no  specific  mention 
made  of  the  New  Church,  but  the  aftairs  spoken  of  are 
affairs  amongst  men  widely  and  generally  taken,  imply- 
ing, if  we  mistake  not,  that  the  author  here  passes  from 
the  consideration  of  the  church  to  the  wider  field  of  the 
world  at  large. 

3.  The  state  of  things  described  as  making  governors 
necessary  is  one  entirely  different  from  what  we  are 
taught  to  regard  as  predicable  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 
"  It  is  impossible  that  order  can  be  maintained  in  the 
world  without  governors,  whose  duty  should  be  vigilantly 
to  observe  the  proceedings  of  those  who  act  according  to 
order,  and  of  those  who  act  contrary  to  order,  that  tliey 
may  reward  the  former,  and  punish  the  latter.  Unless 
this  were  done,  the  human  race  would  inevitably  perish. 
The  desire  of  ruling  others,  and  of  possessing  their  pro- 
perty, being  hereditary  in  every  individual,  and  being 
the  source  whence  all  enmity,  envying,  hatred,  revenge, 
deceit,  cruelty,  and  numerous  other  evils  proceed  ;  unless 
men,  in  the  exercise  of  their  prevailing  inclinations, 
were,  on  the  one  hand,  restrained  by  the  fear  of  the  laws, 
and  the  dread  of  punishment  involving  the  loss  of  honor, 
of  property,  and  of  life,  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  a 
course  of  evil ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  encouraged  by 
the  hope  of  honor  and  of  gain,  as  the  reward  of  well 
doing,  there  would  speedily  be  an  end  of  the  human 


44 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


race."  Now,  we  would  ask  if  any  candid  and  intelli- 
gent man,  with  Swedenborg's  explication  of  the  last  two 
chapters  of  the  Apocalypse  in  his  hand,  can  possibly 
suppose  this  description  to  be  applicable  to  the  New 
Jerusalem.  The  New  Jerusalem  is  a  new  church,  in 
closest  conjunction  with  heaven,  and  the  men  of  that 
church  are  heavenly  men,  who  are  governed  by  other 
motives  than  the  "  fear  of  the  laws,  and  the  dread  of 
punishment."  Let  the  closing  chapters  of  Isaiah  be 
consulted,  in  which  it  is  said  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  that 
"henceforth  there  shall  no  more  come  into  thee  the  un- 
circumcised  and  the  unclean  ;"  "  thy  people  shall  be  all 
righteous ;"  and  the  declaration  of  John  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse, that  "  there  shall  not  enter  into  the  city  anything 
that  detileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketli  abomination, 
or  maketh  a  lie,"  and  then  let  any  one  pronounce  whether 
such  necessities  for  restraining  laws  and  rulers  can  exist 
in  that  celestial  economy. 

4.  The  duty  prescriljed  for  priests  is  so  worded  in  this 
chapter  as  unequivocally  to  iniply  that  "divided"  or  de- 
nominational churclies  are  contemplated  by  the  language, 
which  is  wholly  at  variance  with  the  idea  of  the  unitary 
character  of  the  church  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  "  With 
respect  to  priests,  their  duty  is  to  teach  men  the  way  to 
heaven,  and  likewise  to  lead  them  therein.  They  are  to 
teach  them  according  to  the  doctrine  of  their  church 
{sucB  ccclesiai),  which  is  derived  from  the  Word  of  God ; 
and  to  lead  them  to  live  according  to  that  doctrine." 
We  have  here  given  the  reading  according  to  the  original. 
The  reader  who  consults  almost  any  edition  extant  will 
find  the  rendering  to  be  "  the  church,"  instead  of  "  their 
church,"  but  the  error  is  palpable,  though  we  are  willing, 
in  the  lack  of  any  knowledge  to  tlie  contrary,  to  believe 
that  it  has  crept  into  the  translations  without  any  express 
design  of  falsification.  But  it  will  be  seen  to  change 
entirely  the  whole  scope  of  the  paragraph.  What  is  the 
fair  interpretation  ?  Does  it  not  iniply  that  the  priests 
or  ministers  of  the  severed  churches  in  Christendom,  as, 
for  instance,  the  Lutheran,  the  Calvinistic,  the  Episcopal, 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINSSHIP. 


45 


the  Presbyterian,  the  Baptist,  the  Methodist,  &c.,  are  to 
teach  according  to  the  tenets  which  these  bodies  respec- 
tively hold  as  being,  in  their  view,  derived  from  the 
"Word  of  God  ?  Is  it  replied  that  this  is  virtually 
authorizing  men  to  teach  falsity  instead  of  truth,  and  ex- 
horting them  to  lead  in  a  way  which  conducts  to  hell  ? 
We  ask  in  reply  whether  it  be  not  a  law  of  conscience, 
or,  in  other  words,  a  matter  of  Christian  honesty  and 
integrity,  for  every  so-called  priest  to  be  faithful  to  his 
convictions,  and  to  teach  what  he  and  the  church  to 
which  he  belongs  sincerely  believe  to  be  the  doctrines  of 
truth  derived  from  the  Word  ?  Is  it  not  distinctly  a 
principle  of  the  New  Church  that  every  man  is  bound  to 
be  faithful  to  the  light  he  has,  though  that  light  may  not 
be  the  light  of  genuine  truth  ?  And  is  it  wrong  to  define 
the  duties  of  men  as  related  to  their  present  states,  though 
those  states  should  be  very  defective  in  many  respects  ? 
If  so,  what  shall  be  said  of  Swedenborg's  Scortatory 
doctrine,  in  which  he  undeniably  adapts  his  suggestions 
to  the  states  of  the  natural  man  who  is  not  yet  prepared 
to  act  from  higher  promptings  ?  The  phraseology  "  their 
church,"  is  not  uncommon  in  our  author's  writings,  and 
we  may  safel}^  appeal  to  general  usage  as  a  key  to  his 
meaning  in  the  passage  before  us.  Thus,  "  those  who 
are  of  the  external  church,  are  clearly  in  its  externals, 
but  obscurely  in  its  internals,  whereas  those  who  are  of 
the  internal  church  are  clearly  in  internals,  and  obscurely 
in  externals  ;  but  those  who  are  in  externals,  and  not  at 
the  same  time  in  internals,  are  not  of  the  church ;  all 
those  are  in  both  who  are  in  the  good  of  life,  according 
to  the  doctrines  of  their  church  {ecclesicB  suce) ;  but  those 
are  in  externals  without  internals,  who  are  in  worship, 
and  not  at  the  same  time  in  the  good  of  life  according 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  church."— JL.  O.  8762.  "  Those 
who  are  in  the  affection  of  truth  from  evil,  that  is,  who 
desire  to  know  truth  merely  for  the  sake  of  honor,  gain, 
reputation,  and  the  like,  do  not  see  truths,  but  only  such 
things  as  confirm  the  doctrines  of  their  church  {ecclesicB 
suce),  whether  they  be  true  or  false." — A.  C.  8780. 


46 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSnil'. 


What,  then,  is  the  genuine  character  and  scope  of  the 
famous  chapter  on  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil  Government 
in  the  Heavenly  Doctrines  ?  We  answer,  that,  as  we 
understand  it,  it  is  not  to  lay  down  an  authoritative 
draught  or  model  of  government,  civil  or  sacred,  in  the 
New  Church,  but  simply  to  show  the  New  Churchman 
in  what  light  he  is  to  view  the  existing  polities  of  church 
and  state  in  the  world.  Such  a  man  is  to  view  every- 
thing from  his  own  peculiar  stand-point.  It  is  a  part 
of  the  grand  economy  of  the  Divine  Providence  to 
maintain  order  in  the  world,  as  far  as  is  consistent  with 
human  freedom,  and  to  this  end  he  overrules  the  different 
existing  institutions  of  church  and  state,  while  at  the 
same  time  there  may  be  elements  involved  in  each  which 
a  truly  divine  system  of  order  would  effectually  repudiate. 
Such  a  system  is  doubtless  that  of  the  New  Jerusalem  ; 
but  this  is  a  system  of  slow  development,  and,  in  the 
mean  time,  while  it  is  gradually  maturing  to  its  acme, 
it  is  proper  and  salutary  to  the  best  interests  of  humanity 
that  no  violence  should  be  done  to  men's  convictions  in 
regard  to  those  things  which  they  have  been  tanght  to 
consider  sacred  ;  and  it  is  accordingly  the  object  of  our 
author  in  this  chapter  to  unfold  the  principles  by  which 
men  ought  to  be  governed  in  upholding  religion  and  civil 
government  in  the  world,  which  are  the  grand  pillars 
whereon  the  welfare  of  society  rests.  The  chapter  under 
consideration  is,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  kind  of  general 
consjjectus  afforded  to  the  man  of  the  New  Church  of 
this  department  of  the  Divine  Providence.  He  is  in- 
structed how  to  regard  the  whole  complicated  structure, 
and  is  shown  by  what  means,  or  by  the  exercise  of  what 
principles,  the  benign  results  of  these  institutions  are 
secured.  If  this  be  done  preceptively,  and  the  several 
duties  of  the  spiritual  and  civil  functionaries  are  clearly 
defined,  it  does  not  affect  the  general  object  of  the  enun- 
ciation, which,  we  repeat,  is  not  in  our  estimation  to  lay 
down  a  platform  of  polity  for  the  New  Church,  but  to 
give  a  New  Church  view  of  polities  already  existing  and. 
long  established  in  the  world. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


47 


The  fivct  tliat  the  priesthood  exists  in  heaven,  and  that 
the  worship  tliere  is  conducted  very  much  as  on  earth 
{II.  c6  //.  215)  is  deemed  by  many  as  absohitely  conclusive 
in  favor  of  the  popular  view  and  the  existing  order  of 
things.  We  have,  of  course,  the  most  unbounded  respect 
for  the  utterances  and  informations  flowing  from  the  en- 
lightened herald  of  the  ISTew  Church,  and  have  only  to 
be  assured  that  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  church  his 
genuine  and  true-meant  teachings  go  counter  to  our  views 
to  renounce  them  forthwith.  But  on  this  head  we  lack 
conviction.  We  are  not  by  any  means  clear  that  the 
ajiimrent  measures  the  real  contrariety  existing  between 
his  statements  and  ours.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  preach- 
ing  and  the  priestly  function  are  not  identified  in  heaven. 
"  All  the  preachers  are  from  the  Lord's  spiritual  king- 
dom, and  none  from  the  celestial  kingdom."  "  All 
preachers  are  constituted  by  the  Lord,  and  thence 
in  the  gift  of  preaching ;  it  is  not  lawful  for  any  ex- 
cept them  to  teach  in  the  temples.  They  are  called 
preachers  but  not  priests  ;  the  reason  that  they  are  not 
called  priests  is,  because  the  priesthood  of  heaven  is  the 
celestial  kingdom."— 77.  c&  77  225,  226.  The  priest- 
hood, therefore,  pertains  to  all  those  who  are  in  the  good 
of  love,  which  is  the  main  character  of  the  angels  of  the 
celestial  kingdom.  But  these  are  not  preachers.  The 
preachers  are  from  the  spiritual  kingdom,  and  they  are 
"  constituted"  by  the  Lord,  i.  e.,  as  we  understand  it, 
they  are  the  subjects  of  a  special  influx  endowing  them, 
for  the  occasion^  with  requisite  qualifications,  on  the 
score  of  thought  and  afiection,  for  the  discharge  of  the 
function.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  Lord  "  constitutes" 
them  into  a  distinct  order  sustaining  a  fixed  and  perma- 
nent office.  "We  infer  rather  that  a  strong  divine  afflatus 
comes  upon  certain  spirits  when  convened  for  worship, 
under  the  influence  of  which  they  are  enabled  to  speak 
to  edification  to  the  assembled  groups,  while  on  the  en- 
suing Sabbath  it  may  be  that  some  other  one  or  more 
may  be  moved  to  the  exercise  of  similar  gifts.  In  a 
word,  we  take  it  that  as  far  as  any  earthly  analogy  may 


48 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP, 


be  cited,  the  mode  of  worship  among  the  Quakers  comes 
the  nearest  to  the  heavenly  model. 

But  even  granting  that  the  worship  in  heaven,  as  seen 
and  described  by  Swedenborg,  bore  a  very  marked 
analogy  to  the  prevailing  modes  of  worship  on  earth,  and 
suppose  a  similar  distinction  between  clergy  and  laity, 
still  we  can  account  to  the  fact  to  our  own  minds  without 
enforcing  any  change  of  views  in  regard  to  the  funda- 
mental question.  The  condition  of  things  in  the  heaven 
which  our  author  describes  would  naturally  be  governed 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  and  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time,  by  the  internals  of  those  who  composed  it,  and 
when  we  consider  that  for  ages  the  men  of  the  church 
on  earth  had  been  accustomed  to  the  conduct  of  religious 
affairs  by  the  agency  of  a  priesthood  or  a  clergy,  we  can 
see  what  a  violence  would  be  done  to  the  fixed  forms  of 
their  spiritual  life,  had  they  been  at  once  ushered  into 
the  midst  of  an  economy  entirely  diverse  from  that 
which  had  been  consecrated  in  their  earthly  memory. 
The  heaven  of  recent  souls  in  the  other  life  will  be,  of 
course,  in  the  first  instance,  a  reflex  of  the  cliurch  states 
in  which  they  had  mainly  lived  in  the  present  life.  But 
we  know  of  nothing  that  requires  us  to  believe  that  the 
type  of  heavenly  things  set  forth  by  Swedenborg  will  be 
utterly  and  eternally  unchangeable.  The  genius  of  the 
New  Jerusalem,  we  imagine,  will  be  of  gradual  develop- 
ment, both  on  earth  and  in  heaven,  and  the  only  question 
is,  whether  the  views  above  expressed  do  indeed  rightly 
represent  that  genius.  If  so,  we  do  not  perceive  that 
our  conclusions  are  invalidated  by  anything  aflirmed  of 
the  state  of  the  heavens  when  Swedenborg  wrote.  The 
ultimate  effects  of  the  Last  Judgment,  our  author  tells 
us  {T.  C.  a.  123),  had  not  been  accomplished  at  that 
time,  but  were  then  going  on,  and  would  contimie  to  go 
on.  The  reconstruction  of  the  church  in  the  way  sug- 
gested in  this  essay  may  be  one  of  them.  At  any  rate, 
if  our  positions  are  sound,  the  order  of  things  in  the 
heavens  will  eventually  conform  to  them. 

"We  have  thus  exhibited,  in  strong  relief,  all  the  more 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


49 


important  passages  usually  cited  as  affording  a  warrant 
for  the  institution  of  a  priesthood  or  clergy,  comprising 
an  order  of  men  distinct  from  the  so-called  laity.  To 
our  own  mind  the  proof,  whether  from  the  "Word  or  the 
writings  of  the  ISTew  Church,  is  utterly  wanting  of  the 
intended  existence  of  any  such  class  of  men  in  the 
Christian  Church,  and  we  do  not  therefore  hesitate  to 
consider  the  whole  sacerdotal  order,  as  at  present  estab- 
lished, both  in  the  Old  Church  and  the  ISTew,  as  a  stu- 
pendous falsity,  replete  with  tendencies  of  the  most 
pernicious  character  to  the  interests  of  the  Lord's  king- 
dom. We  are  constrained  by  what  we  consider  the 
strictest  logical  necessity,  to  deny  the  validity  of  the 
claims  set  up  in  behalf  of  a  separate  clerical  caste,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  we  leave  intact  a  leading  or  teaching 
function  in  the  church,  and  one,  too,  that  is  to  be  exer- 
cised by  the  men  of  the  church.  There  is  a  true  ministry 
— not  clergy — in  the  Lord's  church  on  the  earth,  consist- 
ing of  those  who,  in  accordance  with  the  representative 
character .  of  the  ancient  Levites,  are  possessed  of  the 
endowments  of  spiritual  love,  enlightened  intelligence, 
and  active  charity,  which  shall  enable  them  to  exercise 
a  kindly  pastoral  office  towards  the  lambs  of  the  flock 
that  naturally  turn  to  their  feeding  hand.  Every  other 
form  of  priesthood  we  are  forced  to  regard  not  only  as 
an  auti-christian  usurpation,  but  as  having  the  effect  of 
an  organic  hypertrophy  in  the  Lord's  mystical  body.  By 
attracting  to  itself  an  over-measure  of  vital  influx,  it  will 
rob  the  other  portions  of  the  system  of  their  due  share 
of  spiritual  innervation,  and  a  paralysis  of  the  members 
will  be  very  certain  to  ensue.  How  much  of  enlightened 
discernment,  indeed,  is  even  now  requisite  in  order  to 
perceive  that  the  broad  line  of  distinction  held  to  exist 
between  clergy  and  laity,  acts  disastrously  upon  the 
interior  life  of  the  church  by  discharging  the  great  mass 
of  its  members  from  that  degree  of  responsibility  which 
properly  pertains  to  every  one  without  exception  ? 
What  is  more  evident  than  that  the  fact  of  having  an 
individual  salaried  and  set  apart  to  preside  over  the  spirit- 


50 


THE  PEIESXnOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


ual  interests  of  a  society,  operates  as  a  release  to  the^bulk 
of  the  members  from  any  duty  but  that  of  punctually  pay- 
ing their  subscription  and  sitting  devoutly  in  their  seats 
from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  receiving  with  quiet  assent 
whatever  is  dealt  out  to  them.  The  practical  working  of 
the  system  is  precisely  such  as  to  confirm  the  drift  of  our 
theoretical  objections.  It  goes  all  along  on  the  assump- 
tion that  the  actual  worh  essential  to  the  building  up  of 
the  church  is  to  be  performed,  not  by  the  body  collec- 
tively, but  by  a  particular  class  acting  as  proxies  for  the 
rest.  If  we  make  the  analogy  of  the  human  body  the 
criterion  in  this  matter,  it  would  be  as  if  all  the  organs 
and  viscera  of  the  trunk  should  unite  in  feeing  the  brain 
to  perform  their  functions  for  them,  while  they  should 
enjoy  an  exemption  from  their  appropriate  work.  Is  it 
possible  for  any  one  who  is  accessible  to  truth  to  avoid 
seeing  that  this  cannot  be  consistent  with  a  true  Divine 
order  ?  That  order  is  well  expressed  by  the  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles.  "  From  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined 
together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  sup- 
plieth,  according  to  the  eft'ectual  working  in  the  measure 
of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  to  the  edify- 
ing of  itself  in  love."  This  is  the  true  model  of  a 
Christian  church  or  society,  and  the  ends  of  such  an  in- 
stitution can  never  be  fully  realized  till  there  be  a  return 
from  the  present  to  the  primitive  order. 

The  precepts  and  intimations  of  the  apostolic  epistles 
may  serve  at  least  as  documentary  evidence  of  a  his- 
torical kind,  of  the  light  in  which  this  matter  was  viewed 
in  the  primitive  church.  "  God  hath  tempered  the  body 
together,  having  given  more  abundant  honor  to  that  part 
which  lacked  ;  that  there  should  be  no  schism  in  the 
body ;  l)ut  that  the  members  should  have  the  same  care 
one  for  anotherP — 1  Cor.  xii.  21,  25.  "  Brethren,  if  a 
man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye^  which  are  s])iritual,  re- 
store such  an  07ie  in  the  sjnrit  of  meekness^  considering 
thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted." — Gal.  vi.  1,  2.  Who- 
ever was  spiritual  might  feel  this  a  command  to  him  to 
exercise  a  kindly  office  of  charity  in  restoring  one  who 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


51 


Lad  unfortunately  lapsed  from  his  uprightness.  Each 
was  to  bear  the  other's  burdens.  Again,  "Now  we  ex- 
hort you,  hrethren,yfa,vn  them  that  are  unruly,  comfort 
the  feeble-minded,  support  the  weak,  be  patient  toward 
all  men." — 1  Thes.  v,  14r.  Brethren  are  here  exhorted  to 
"Warn,  comfort,  and  support  each  other — a  very  principal 
feature  of  what  is  considered  as  the  pastor's  peculiar 
work.  "  Wherefore  comfort  yourselves,  and  edify  one 
another,  even  as  also  ye  do." — Id.  v.  11.  Passages  of  this 
nature  might  be  largely  multiplied,'but  it  is  unnecessary. 
The  gifts  and  services  of  the  brethren  are  not  to  be 
superseded,  in  a  proper  church  arrangement,  by  those  of 
the  clerical  rank.  The  feeblest  brother  has  as  deep  an 
interest  la  the  general  spiritual  life  of  the  society  as  the 
strongest.  It  is  in  fact  the  duty  of  every  Christian  man 
to  edify,  warn,  support,  and  comfort  his  brethren,  accord- 
ing to  opportunities  offered,  and  that  upon  the  ground  of 
a  common  concern  in  the  spiritual  well-being  of  the 
body. 

It  is  doubtless  much  more  consonant  to  the  dictates  of 
the  natural  man  to  purchase  exemption  from  self-denying 
duties  at  the  price  of  one's  annual  subscription  to  the 
support  of  a  substitute,  than  to  go  forward  and  discharge 
them  in  person,  especially  when  their  discharge  implies, 
in  order  to  the  best  effect,  that  a  prevailingly  spiritual 
state  of  mind  shall  be  sedulously  cultivated.  Accord- 
ingly nothing  is  naore  obvious  than  the  air  of  easy  un- 
concern with  which  the  mass  of  Christians  occupy  their 
seats  in  the  sanctuary  on  the  Sabbath,  and  pass  on 
through  the  week,  devolving  all  care  of  the  interests  of 
the  churcli  on  the  spiritual  stipendiary  who  takes  them 
in  trust.  This  is  undoubtedly  a  necessary  result  of  the 
system  in  vogue,  and  therefore  we  do  not  sjDeak  of  it 
reproachfully  in  reference  to  any  to  whom  our  remarks 
may  apply.  They  have  been  educated  and  have  grown 
up  under  the  system,  and  a  thousand  influences  have 
been  operating  to  prevent  the  suspicion  of  a  wrong  in  it. 
They  accordingly  act  as  is  most  natural  under  the  cir- 
cumstances.   While  an  external  priesthood  is  recognized 


• 


52 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


in  the  church,  it  will  not  do  to  have  the  office  i-emain  a 
sinecure.  The  people  pay  the  priests  for  assuming  the 
care  of  their  souls,  and  why  should  they  do  themselves 
the  work  which  they  bargain  with  another  to  do  in  their 
stead  ?  The  fact  is,  the  evil  can  never  be  reached  but  by 
striking  at  the  fundamental  falsity  on  which  the  whole 
rests,  to  wit,  a  distinct  priestly  or  clerical  order.  This 
is  an  institute  wliich,  in  its  present  form,  is  to  be  traced 
back  to  the  corruptions  of  the  Eoraan  Catholic  Church, 
where  the  spirit  of  hierarchy  is  the  animating  soul  of 
that  vast  corporation.  That  the  great  reformer,  Luther, 
had  a  very  clear  perception  of  this  is  evident  from  the 
following  passage  in  his  "  Letter  on  Ordination,"  ad- 
dressed to  the  Bohemian  brethren. 

.  .  .  "  Let  that  rock  stand  to  you  unshaken — that,  iu  the  New 
Testament,  of  pi-icst  externally  anointed  there  is  none,  neither  can  be  : 
but  if  there  be  any,  they  are  masks  and  idols,  because  they  have  neither 
example  nor  prescription  of  this  their  vanity,  nor  any  word  in  Gospels 
or  Epistles  of  the  Apostles  ;  but  they  have  been  erected  and  intro- 
duced by  the  mere  invention  of  men,  as  Jeroboam  did  in  Israel.  For 
a  priest,  in  the  new  Testament,  is  not  made,  but  born  ;  not  ordained, 
but  raised  up  ;  and  he  is  born,  not  by  the  nativity  of  the  flesh,  but  of 
spirit,  that  is,  of  water  and  the  spirit  in  the  laver  of  regeneration. 
And  all  Christians  are  altogether  priests,  and  all  priests  are  Christians ; 
and  let  it  be  anathema  to  assert  that  there  is  any  other  priest  than  he 
who  is  a  Christian  ;  for  it  will  be  asserted  without  the  word  of  God, 
on  no  authority  but  the  sayings  of  men,  or  the  antiquity  of  custom,  or 

the  multitude  of  those  who  think  so  Christ  was  neither 

shaven  nor  anointed  with  oil  to  be  made  a  priest ;  wherefore  neither  is 
it  enough  for  any  follower  of  Christ  to  be  anointed  to  become  a  priest, 
but  he  must  have  something  far  different ;  which  when  he  shall  have, 
he  will  have  no  need  of  oil  and  shaving.  So  that  you  may  see  that 
the  bishops  erred  sacrilegiously  whilst  they  make  their  ordinations  so 
necessary  that  without  these  they  deny  that  any  one  can  become  a 
priest,  although  he  is  most  holy,  as  Christ  liimself ;  and  again,  that  a 
priest  may  be  made  by  them,  although  he  lie  more  wicked  than  Nero 
or  Sardanapalus.  By  which  what  else  do  they  than  deny  that  Christ 
is  a  priest  with  his  Christians  ?  for  whilst  they  discharge  their  abomi- 
nable olEce,  they  make  no  one  a  priest  unless  he  first  deny  that  he  is  a 
priest,  and  so  by  that  very  circumstance,  while  they  make  a  priest, 
they  in  truth  remove  him  from  the  priesthood  The  min- 
istry of  the  word  is  common  to  all  Christians  ;  that  one  passage,  1 
Peter  ii.,  establishes  it :  'Ye  are  a  royal  priesthood  that  ye  may  show 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  A^^D  THE  KINGSHIP. 


53 


forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvellous  light.'  I  beseech  you,  who  are  they  that  are  called  out  of 
darkness  into  his  marvellous  light  ?  Ai'e  they  only  anointed  and 
ordained  priests  ?  or  are  they  not  all  Christians  ?  But  Peter  not  only 
gives  them  the  liberty,  but  commands  them  to  declare  the  praises  of 
God,  which  certainly  is  nothing  else  than  to  preach  the  word  of  God. 
.  .  .  .  As  there  is  no  other  showing  forth  of  the  praises  of  God 
in  the  ministry  of  the  "Word  than  that  common  to  all,  so  there  is  no 
other  priesthood  than  a  spiritual  one,  also  common  to  all,  which  Peter 

hath  here  described  Wherefore  it  hath  now  been  su£B- 

ciently  confirmed  most  strongly  and  clearly,  that  the  ministry  of  the 
Word  is  the  chief  olSce  in  the  church,  altogether  unique,  and  yet  com- 
mon to  all  Christians,  not  only  by  right  but  also  of  command  ;  where- 
fore the  priesthood  also  must  needs  be  both  excellent  and  common  ;  so 
that  against  these  divine  lightnings  of  God's  word  of  what  avail  are  in- 
finite fathers,  innumerable  councils,  everlasting  usages,  and  the  multi- 
tude of  the  whole  world  ?" 

This  is  bravely  said,  though  it  has  seldom  found  au 
echo  in  later  days,  nor  are  we  by  any  means  confident 
that  the  heroic  AVirtemberger  always  speaks  in  his 
writings  on  this  subject  in  the  same  strain.  But  that  is 
immaterial.  He  saw  then  what  we  see  now,  that  the 
priesthood  of  the  Eoman  Church  is  the  grand  element  of 
its  power,  and  that  its  power  in  spiritual  things  is  the 
breath  of  its  nostrils.  And  though  the  institution  exists 
in  all  Protestant  Churches  in  a  greatly  modified  and 
mitigated  form,  yet  it  is  to  this  source  that  its  origin  is 
to  be  traced,  and  it  is  next  to  imjDossible  to  divest  it 
altogether  of  its  inherent  tendencies  towards  the  evils 
of  hierarchy  and  the  other  forms  of  abuse  to  which  we 
have  adverted. 

"While  frankly  enouncing  these  sentiments  we  are  per- 
fectly aware  of  the  light  in  which  they  will  be  viewed  by 
the  majority  of  the  men  of  the  church.  They  will  look 
Upon  it  as  requiring  nearly  as  much  hardihood  to  deny 
a  visible  clergy  in  the  church,  as  to  deny  the  existence  of 
the  church  itself  They  will  feel  that  a  sad  havoc  is  made 
of  all  their  traditionary  and  cherished  associations  rela- 
tive to  the  church,  the  ministry,  the  Sabbath,  the  worship 
of  God,  and  indeed  everything  sacred  ;  and  they  will  be 
prompted  to  put  the  question,  whether  we  really  mean 
6 


54 


THE  PEIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


quite  so  much  as  our  words  would  seem  to  import.  As- 
suredly we  do  ;  and  we  will  thank  auy  man  to  designate 
the  point  at  which  we  can  consistently  stop  short  of  our 
present  position  provided  our  premises  are  sound.  If 
there  is  no  external  priesthood  known  in  the  Lord's 
church,  what  authority  is  there  for  a  clergy?  We  find 
it  not,  and  therefore  state  our  conclusions  without  reserve. 
No  hesitation  have  we  in  saying  that  in  the  truest  and 
purest  state  of  the  church  on  earth,  no  other  than  a  spirit- 
ual priesthood  or  clergy  will  be  known,  and  what  that 
is  has  been  suflSciently  unfolded  in  our  previous  remarks. 
It  is  a  priesthood  and  a  clergy  which  exists  in  an  utter 
non-recognition  of  the  distinction  between  them  and  the 
laity.  These  classes,  as  contra-distinguished  from  each 
other,  are  wholly  unknown  to  a  just  ideal  of  the  church. 

That  a  multitude  of  questions  should  be  started  as  to 
the  sequences  of  such  a  theory  as  we  have  now  an- 
nounced we  can  readily  anticipate.  Who  shall  propa- 
gate the  doctrines  of  the  church  ?  Who  shall  conduct 
worship,  and  how  shall  it  be  done? — will  be  among  the 
first.  What  will  be  the  use  of  churches  in  such  a  state 
of  things  ?  Or,  if  we  have  them,  what  will  be  the  use 
of  a  pulpit  if  there  be  no  regularly  inducted  clergyman 
to  fill  it  ? — will  follow  in  the  train.  That  in  all  these 
respects  the  adoption  of  our  views  would  work  momen- 
tous changes  in  the  existing  order  of  things  there  is  no 
shadow  of  doubt.  But  of  sudden  changes  we  are  no  ad- 
vocates. We  have  too  correct  a  conception  of  the  genius 
of  N.  C.  teaching  on  this  head  to  think  of  urging  abrupt 
and  violent  innovations  for  which  the  states  of  men  are 
not  prepared.  We  know  very  well  that  at  the  present 
moment  they  are  not  prepared  to  forego  a  system  to 
which  they  have  long  been  habituated,  and  therefore  we 
do  not  urge  it.  We  would  have  changes  introduced 
neither  farther  nor  faster  than  the  firm  and  intelligent 
convictions  of  IST.  C.  receivers  shall  call  for  them.  But 
we  do  not  feel  ourselves  on  this  account  precluded  from 
broaching  important  principles.  We  hold  that  it  is 
neve?'  too  early  to  give  xttterance  to  reformatory  ideas. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHtP. 


55 


Though  not  at  once  acted  upon^  they  are  still  acting  as 
a  secret  leaven  in  the  minds  of  men,  and  in  duo  time 
will  bring  forth  their  proper  fruits.  This  position,  we 
are  persuaded,  cannot  be  logically  controverted,  and 
yet  the  man  who  ventures  to  act  upon  it  must  make 
up  his  mind  to  do  it  at  his  peril.  He  will  not  henceforth 
be  regarded  as  a  perfectly  sane  or  safe  man.  In  his 
reputation  he  must  calculate  to  pay  the  penalty  always 
visited  upon  the  disturbers  of  old  notions.  "  The  last 
offence,"  says  a  French  author,  "  forgiven  to  men  is  the 
introduction  of  a  new  idea."  We  write  under  the  fall 
force  of  this  conviction.  The  broaching  of  such  ideas, 
however,  though  somewhat  startling  at  the  outset,  is  less 
so  npon  reflection,  and  as  they  become  familiarized  to 
the  thought,  they  assume  new  aspects,  and  gradually 
convert  themselves  to  powerful  elements  of  action.  The 
Divine  Providence  has  permitted  and  still  tolerates  a 
vicious  order  of  things  until  his  people,  in  the  exercise 
of  rationality  and  freedom,  shall  be  prompted  to  institute 
a  better.  Meanwhile  we  have  for  ourselves  no  scruples 
as  to  compliance  with  established  forms  of  worship  and 
instruction,  so  long  as  we  are  conscious  of  inwardly  up- 
holding no  abstract  principle  at  variance  with  truth. 
Ministering  truth  and  good  to  our  fellow-men  is  ever 
a  laudable  use,  and  a  man  in  doing  it  is  not  called  upon 
always  to  proclaim  his  conviction  that  there  are  things 
usually  connectedt  with  the  function  involving  grave 
errors  and  requiring  radical  reform. 

We  should  deem  ourselves  signally  incompetent  to  the 
discussion  of  the  present  subject,  were  we  not  fully  aware 
of  the  very  great  revolution  which  the  ultimation  of  our 
views  is  calculated  to  produce  in  the  conduct  of  spiritual 
affairs.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  be  blind  to  the  fact, 
that  the  practical  doing  away  of  the  distinction  between 
clergy  and  laity,  would  put  entirely  a  new  face  upon  the 
services  of  the  Sabbath,  and  present  the  whole  matter  of 
worship  in  a  new  light.  And  what  if  this  were  the 
result?    What  if  the  Sabbath  gatherings  of  Christian 


56 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


people  should  partake  more  of  a  social  character  ?  What 
if  the  principle  of  mutual  instruction  and  edification 
should  replace  the  present  mode,  in  which  a  single  indi- 
vidual conducts  the  entire  routine  ?  Is  not  such  a  method 
of  instruction  more  accordant  with  the  spirit  of  the  New 
Church  than  that  of  professional  preaching  ?  This  form 
of  teaching  was  more  in  place  at  former  periods,  prior 
to  the  invention  of  printing,  when  books  were  few  and 
expensive,  and  the  mass  of  the  people  in  Christian  coun- 
tries could  neither  read  nor  write.  In  such  circum- 
stances, when  intelligence  was  limited,  and  the  general 
habits  of  thought  and  speech  not  adapted  to  sustain  such 
a  mode  of  voluntary  mutual  instruction,  it  would  be  more 
natural  that  one  man  should  be  employed  to  officiate  in 
behalf  of  a  whole  assembly.  And  so  long  as  that  was 
the  case,  the  clerical  caste  undoubtedly  performed  an 
important  use.  But  in  the  progress  of  things,  that  state 
of  the  general  Christian  mind  has  been  outgrown,  and  a 
good  degree  of  general  competency  to  declare  truth  pre- 
vails. Why  then  should  not  those  who  are  "  of  age" 
have  the  privilege  of  doing  their  own  religious  business  ? 
We  grant  that  such  a  mode  of  procedure  would  be  liable 
to  abuses,  just  as  is  every  system  of  polity  where  the 
freedom  of  the  individual  is  thoroughly  secured.  But  if 
good  is  the  predominant  element  in  the  men  of  the 
church,  true  wisdom  will  not  be  wanting,  and  wisdom 
dwells  evermore  with  prudence.  The  truth,  moreover, 
that  is  derived  from  good,  is  always  of  a  prolific  or  self- 
multiplying  character,  so  that  the  word  will  dwell  richly 
in  all  utterance  even  in  the  humbler  and  weaker  of  the 
brethren,  as  they  are  often  accounted.  The  tongue  of  the 
stammerer  shall  speak  plain,  and  as  there  will  be  few  too 
ignorant  to  teach,  so  there  will  be  none  too  wise  to  learn. 

How  is  it  now  ?  The  trained  and  professional  preacher, 
being  supported  for  this  very  work,  has  time  to  devote 
himself  to  the  careful  preparation  of  his  discourses,  and 
he  will  be  led,  of  course,  to  elaborate  them  in  finished 
style,  and  by  degrees  to  conform  them  to  the  most  ad- 
mired models  of  composition,  and  thus  to  serve  up  weekly 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


57 


to  his  audience  an  intellectual  treat  set  off  in  all  the 
graces  of  Tnllian  or  Tertullian  eloquence.  The  conse- 
quence is,  that  the  mind  of  the  hearer,  being  accustomed 
to  this  kind  of  pulpit  entertainment,  comes  at  length  to 
nauseate  the  plain  and  homely  style  of  extemporaneous 
talk  among  brethren.  And  yet  who  is  not  conscious  that 
this  kind  of  communication  takes  a  deeper  hold  of  the 
thoughts  and  atfections  and  exercises  more  efficient  con- 
trol over  the  inner  man,  than  the  most  studied  oratorical 
displays  to  which  one  listens  with  mere  passive  acquies- 
cence. 

"  The  clear  discourae,  and  cold  as  it  is  clear, 
Falls  soporific  on  the  listless  ear." 

But  a  change  in  this  respect,  in  the  conduct  of  public 
worship,  will  draw  after  it  a  change  in  the  external  ar- 
rangements which  the  present  method  has  called  into 
requisition.  Pulpit  and  priesthood  are  inseparable  ideas  ; 
and  pulpit  and  pews  are  related  to  each  other  just  as  are 
clergy  and  laity.  It  is  vain  to  think  of  abolishing  the 
distinction  in  the  one  case  and  retaining  it  in  the  other. 
The  architectural  structure  of  churches  is  but  an  ultima- 
tion  of  the  falsities  which  we  have  thus  far  endeavored 
to  expose.  The  proverbial  sanctity  of  the  pulpit  must 
fall  before  the  correction  of  the  errors  in  which  it  has 
originated,  as  when  the  fancied  "  messenger  of  heaven 
and  legate  of  the  skies"  has  disappeared,  his  consecrated 
standing-place  may  as  well  vanish  with  him. 

But  in  these  circumstances,  can  the  churches  them- 
selves, or  the  worship  to  which  they  are  dedicated,  be 
permanently  retained  ?  We  doubt  if  they  can,  without 
undergoing  the  inost  signal  alterations.  The  motive 
which  prompts  such  alterations  will  be  the  enthronement 
of  charity  over  faith  alone,  and  charity  can  never  breathe 
but  in  an  atmosphere  of  use  ;  and  if  use  be  the  governing 
principle,  it  cannot  but  be  a  question  whether  the  enor- 
mous sums  expended  upon  church  buildings,  as  also  in 
the  way  of  salaries  to  their  official  occupants,  could  not 
be  expended  to  far  greater  advantage  to  the  interests  of 
6* 


58 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHrP. 


the  Lord's  kingdom  in  multiplying  the  issues  of  the  press, 
and  in  this  way  propagating  the  saving  truth  of  heaven. 
Plain  and  moderate  buildings,  adapted  rather  to  small 
than  to  large  audiences,  and  made  proportionally 
numeroiis,  will  answer  all  the  demands  of  those  who 
recognize  the  church  as  composed  of  "  living  stones"  in- 
stead of  polished  dead  ones,  and  who  would  devote  to 
beneficence  what  they  can  save  from  extravagance.  And 
in  regard  to  worship  and  the  Sabbath,  we  can  easily  con- 
ceive of  an  equally  great  improvement  founded  upon 
what  our  enlightened  author  says  on  this  head. 

"  By  worship,  according  to  the  order  of  Heaven,  is  meant  all  the  ex- 
ercise of  good  according  to  the  precepts  of  the  Lord  :  by  the  worship 
of  God  at  this  day  is  meant,  principally,  the  worship  of  the  mouth  in 
a  temple,  both  morning  and  evening  ;  but  the  worship  of  God  does  not 
consist  essentially  in  this,  but  in  a  life  of  uses  ;  this  worship  is  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  Heaven  ;  the  worship  of  the  mouth  is  also  worship, 
but  it  is  altogether  of  no  avail  unless  there  be  worship  of  the  life." — 
—A.  C.  7884. 

"  Worship  does  not  consist  in  prayers  and  in  external  devotion,  but 
in  a  life  of  charity.  ....  Spiritual  affection  is  what  is  called 
charity  towards  our  neighbor  ;  to  be  in  that  aflfectiou  is  true  worship  ; 
prayer  is  what  thence  proceeds.  Hence  it  is  plain  that  the  essential 
principle  of  worship  is  a  life  of  charity,  and  the  instrumental  thereof  is 
gesture  and  prayer  ;  or  that  the  primary  constituent  of  worship  is  a 
life  of  charity,  and  its  secondary  is  praying  ;  from  which  it  is  evident 
that  they  who  place  all  Divine  worship  in  oral  piety,  and  not  in  actual 
piety,  err  exceedingly." — A.  E.  395. 

"  Divine  worship  primarily  consists  in  the  life,  of  charity  ;  and, 
secondarily,  in  that  of  piety ;  he,  therefore,  who  separates  the  one  from 
the  other,  that  is,  who  lives  in  the  practice  of  piety,  and  not  at  the 
same  time  in  the  exercise  of  charity,  does  not  worship  God." — H. 
D.  124. 

Swedenborg  no  where  disparages  external  worship, 
but  again  and  again  enjoins  it,  as  A.  C.  1175,  1618  ;  but 
he  evermore  insists  that  the  external  apart  from  the 
internal  in  worship  is  of  no  avail ;  and  under  the  guidance 
of  this  principle,  we  have  no  doubt  that  important 
changes  may  be  advantageously  made  in  the  mode  of 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


59 


conducting  it.  A  significant  revelation  respecting  the 
true  nature  of  worship  meets  us  in  the  following  extract 
from  "  Heaven  <&  HelV  (222). 

"  Divine  worship  iu  the  heavens  does  not  consist  in  frequenting  tem- 
ples, and  in  hearing  preaching,  but  in  a  life  of  love,  charity  and  faith, 
according  to  doctrines  ;  preachings  in  temples  serve  only  as  means  of 
instruction  in  matters  of  life.  I  have  spoken  with  angels  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  I  said,  that  in  the  world  it  is  believed  that  Divine  worship  is 
only  to  frequent  temples,  hear  preaching,  attend  the  sacrament  of  the 
supper  three  or  four  times  every  year,  and  do  the  other  things  of  wor- 
ship according  to  the  statutes  of  the  church,  and  likewise  set  apart 
particular  times  for  prayer,  and  then  to  behave  devoutly.  The  angels 
said,  that  these  are  external  things  which  ought  to  be  done,  but  that 
they  are  of  no  avail  unless  there  be  an  internal  from  which  they  proceed, 
and  that  the  internal  is  a  life  according  to  the  precepts  which  doctrine 
teaches." 

"Whatever,  then,  goes  to  make  the  worship)  on  earth 
most  akin  to  the  worship  in  heaven,  ought  to  be  the  object 
aimed  at  by  the  Lord's  people,  in  conducting  their  Sab- 
bath services.  For  ourselves,  we  are  firmly  of  the  opinion, 
that  the  plan  of  mutual  instruction,  on  a  perfectly  volun- 
tary basis,  is  far  better  adapted  to  accomplish  this  end 
than  the  present  system,  in  which  a  single  individual  is 
instar  omnium^  or  a  kind  of  spiritual  fac-totum  to  the 
congregation.  How  vastly  more  desirable  that  each 
member  of  a  Christian  society,  according  to  his  measure 
of  gifts,  should  contribute  his  quota  to  the  general  stock 
of  instruction  and  excitation  in  the  spiritual  life.  Men 
learn  more  by  the  exercise  of  thought,  and  the  putting 
forth  of  affection  in  the  effort  to  edify  others,  than  by 
listening  to  sermons  when  their  faculties  of  use  to  others 
are  in  abeyance.  It  is,  moreover,  a  positive  disadvantage 
that  men  should  have  a  hired  functionary  to  do  their 
thinking  for  them.  Eeligious  meetings,  as  usually  con- 
ducted, are  on  a  plan  less  manly  than  district  schools,  for 
the  congregations  do  not  even  recite  their  lessons,  but 
have  them  recited  by  the  master.  Their  problems  are 
all  worked  out  for  them,  and  they  sit  and  hear  the  solu- 
tions with  little  interest  and  little  profit.  The  people 
actually  need,  for  their  own  spiritual  health,  a  great  part 


60  THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


of  the  intellectual  exercise  from  which  their  ministers 
now  relieve  them.  Adult  Bible  and  doctrinal  classes  are 
now  to  a  great  extent  conducted  on  this  plan,  and  noth- 
ing is  more  evident  than  their  tendency  to  develope 
among  the  mass  of  members  all  the  capacities  necessary 
to  sustain  the  system.  So  would  it  be  in  the  services 
of  the  Sabbath  ;  and  we  think  it  unquestionable  that 
each  society  of  the  New  Church  has  a  claim  upon  the 
powers  and  resources  of  all  its  members.  The  plea  of 
incompetency  will  no  doubt  be  urged  in  regard  to  multi- 
tudes in  the  church,  but  with  the  same  propriety  it  might 
be  urged  that  certain  portions  of  the  human  body  are 
incompetent  to  contribute  any  thing  towards  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  whole.  If  there  be  any  such  part  of  the 
bodily  structure,  it  does  not  belong  there.  But  the  fact 
is,  the  difficulty  in  the  case  supposed  arises  from  the 
operation  of  a  false  standard  in  regard  to  what  is  most 
useful  in  the  way  of  social  impartation.  It  is  not  the 
most  finished  and  elaborate  discourses  which  do  the  most 
good.  They  excite  admiration,  but  they  seldom  move 
the  inner  springs  of  action.  They  play  round  the  head, 
but  they  reach  not  the  heart.  The  plain  and  even  homely 
utterances  of  a  good  man,  accompanied  by  the  sphere 
which  his  goodness  engenders,  will  commend  themselves 
by  a  certain  unction  to  every  kindred  mind,  and  the 
absence  of  literary  or  rhetorical  qualities  will  not  be  felt. 
The  teachings  of  the  New  Church  on  this  subject,  dis- 
closing the  nature  and  the  relations  of  goodness  and 
truth,  and  assuring  us  that  all  truth  is  semiually  included 
in  good,  ought  to  have  the  efiect  to  exclude  fastidiousness 
on  this  score,  and  to  lay  the  mind  open  to  the  reception 
both  of  truth  and  good  even  from  the  humblest  sources. 

Another  fair  and  very  important  inference  from  our 
premises  here  urges  itself  upon  us.  How  many  infant 
and  feeble  societies  in  the  New  Church,  are  kept  back 
and  drag  along  a  dying  kind  of  life,  from  an  impression 
of  the  almost  indispensable  necessity  of  a  minister  both 
to  their  well-being  and  their  being.  There  is  no  occa- 
sion, indeed,  to  be  surprised  at  this,  for  a  clergy  will  be 


THE  PKIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


61 


sure  to  teach,  among  its  first  and  last  lessons,  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  its  own  order  to  the  welfare  of  the 
church,  and  in  this  way  to  lay  the  spell  of  inertia  upon 
the  mass  of  the  laity.  How,  then,  can  they  find  their 
hands  when  they  have  been  so  carefully  hid  away  by 
their  spiritual  masters  ?  The  eftect  answers  perfectly  to 
the  cause,  and  precludes  the  language  of  censure  towards 
the  private  receivers  scattered  over  the  country,  for  they 
have  merely  practiced  upon  the  copy  that  has  been  set 
them.  Nor  in 'fact  can  we  properly  adopt  a  tone  of 
severe  reproof  towards  the  copy-masters  themselves. 
They,  too,  have  acted  according  to  the  light  that  was  in 
them.  They  have  not  ^'n^enc/ef^ either  error  or  evil ;  we 
therefore  view  the  past  with  all  allowance.  But  it  is 
easy  to  perceive  what  the  result  has  been,  and  continues 
to  be.  Dependence  upon  a  superior  divinely  commis- 
sioned order  of  teachers  and  leaders,  and  the  fear  of 
trenching  upon  the  sanctity  of  their  prerogatives,  has 
tended  to  paralyze  exertion  on  the  part  of  receivers,  and 
to  inure  and  reconcile  them  to  a  low  state,  and  a  slow 
progress,  in  spiritual  things.  How  is  this  condition  to  be 
remedied  ?  Not  by  a  supposed  adequate  supply  of  min- 
isterial laborers  in  the  field,  who  shall  receive  a  compe- 
tent support  from  the  flocks  which  they  feed.  For  years 
and  years  to  come  this  is  utterly  out  of  the  question  in 
the  New  Church.  There  are  scores  of  expectant  clergy- 
men among  us  at  this  moment  who  are  ready  to  enter 
the  vineyard,  but  who  can  find  none  who  will  pay  them 
their  wages.  Except  in  a  very  few  prominent  localities 
in  our  country,  a  competent  ministerial  support  is  abso- 
lutely hopeless.  This,  for  ourselves,  we  look  upon  as  a 
pregnant  commentary  of  the  Divine  Providence  upon 
the  truth  of  our  main  positions.  It  indicates  to  us  that 
it  is  not  by  a  clergy  that  the  New  Church  is  either  to  be 
sustained  or  propagated.  It  must  be  by  every  man  of 
the  church  realizing  himself  to  be  a  church  in  the  least 
form,  and  bound  to  act  as  if  he  were  himself  charged 
with  the  responsibility  of  the  priesthood  involved  in  his 
church  character.    All  in  a  society  or  a  neighborhood, 


62 


THE  PEIESTnOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


who  have  the  heavenly  doctrines  at  heart,  ought  to  feel 
it  incumbent  upon  them,  both  jointly  and  severally,  to 
see  that  their  "  coal  be  not  quenched,"  that  their  lamp 
go  not  out.  They  are  each  and  all  to  supply  the  minis- 
ter's lack  of  service,  and  every  one  who  enters  such  a 
society  should  do  it  with  a  distinct  understanding  that 
such  are  the  conditions  of  membership — that  a  New 
Church  society  is  a  spiritual  firm  in  which  there  are  no 
silent  partners,  but  every  one  is  to  be  an  active  working 
member,  always  carrying  with  him  the  conviction  that 
the  concern  is  complete  in  itself,  that  it  must  depend  en- 
tirely upon  its  own  efforts,  and  that  its  solvency  and  suc- 
cess can  only  be  secured  hy  every  one,  without  excep- 
tion, feeling  as  if  the  result  depended  wholly  upon  him. 

So  in  the  matter  before  us;  we  see  no  other  method  by 
which  the  little  bands  of  receivers  scattered  over  the 
country  can  ever  be  prompted  to  arouse  themselves  from 
that  tor2:)id,  dead-and-alive  condition  into  which  they  are 
so  prone  to  fall,  than  by  being  weaned  from  reliance  on 
the  ministry,  and  tlirown  ujDon  their  own  resources  ;  and 
how  can  this  be  done  without  discarding  i7i  toto  the  very 
fundamental  idea  of  a  clergy  or  a  priesthood  as  a  distinct 
order  of  men  ?  A  priestly  principle  there  must  ever  be 
in  the  church,  but  that  this  princij^le  must  ultimate  itself 
in  a  separate  priestly  caste  under  the  New  Jerusalem 
dispensation  is,  we  are  persuaded,  one  of  the  first-born 
of  falsities  which  unfortunately  has  made  itself  "  higher 
than  the  kings  of  the  earth,"  i.  e.,  to  dominate  over  some 
of  the  chiefest  truths  of  the  church. 

That  the  fruits  of  this  system  have  not  been  all  evil  we 
of  course  admit,  and  we  have  expressly  said  that  we  have 
no  "  railing  accusations"  to  bring  against  the  parties  who 
have,  without  consciously  intending  it,  fastened  a  false 
and  pernicious  system  of  clerical  order  on  the  church. 
But  we  feel,  at  the  same  time,  no  restraint  from  pointing 
to  the  "mischiefs  manifold"  which  refer  themselves  to 
this  source.  Among  these  we  have  barely  adverted  to 
one  which  demands  a  more  definite  presentation.  We 
allude  to  the  every  where  prevalent  idea  that  the  Lord's 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP.  63 


New  Church  is  to  be  propagated  mainly  by  the  agency 
of  preaching.  This  certainly  cannot  be  if  our  previous 
position  is  sound,  that  tlie  very  office  of  the  preacher,  as 
ordinarily  apprehended,  is  a  fallac3\  Let  this  position 
be  tried  upon  its  merits.  "  But  how  is  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  to  be  proclaimed  ?"  it  will  be  asked.  We  reply, 
by  means  of  the  press  and  the  living  voice,  not  of  the 
minister  or  the  missionary  as  such,  but  of  the  ordinary 
member  as  such.  In  the  mode  now  specified,  every  so- 
ciety or  circle  of  receivers  is  to  regard  itself  as  virtually 
a  band  of  propagandists,  whose  main  business  it  is,  in 
this  world,  to  live  and  labor  for  this  end.  To  this  every 
thing  else  is  to  be  subordinate,  without  at  the  same  time 
being  neglected.  Worldly  resources  are  needed  for  spir- 
itual uses,  and  when  every  thing  is  viewed  in  relation  to 
eternal  ends,  we  are  doing  our  utmost  to  superinduce  a 
church-state  upon  the  world  at  large — the  grand  finale  to 
wbicli  the  Divine  Providence  is  shaping  its  counsels. 
Nothing,  indeed,  is  more  abhorrent  to  the  true  genius  of 
the  New  Church  than  a  spirit  of  indiscriminate  prose- 
lytism ;  but  there  is  doubtless  a  growing  receptivity  in 
the  world  which  prefers  a  claim  to  be  provided  for,  and 
this  claim  will  hardly  fail  to  be  met  if  the  principles  of 
church  polity  now  advocated  be  thoroughly  carried  out. 
The  fact  is,  the  true  church  of  the  Lord  is  in  its  own  na- 
ture self-propagating.  It  difluses  itself  by  outgrowth  or 
offshoots,  like  trees  and  vines.  There  is  a  spontaneous 
multiplication  of  societies  wherever  a  true  spiritual  vital- 
ity exists  to  give  the  start.  There  is  in  the  essential  life 
of  a  true  New  Church  society  a  constant  co?iatus  to  re- 
produce itself  in  similar  forms,  and  if  the  converse  of  the 
apostle's  aphorism,  that  "evil  communications  corrupt 
good  manners,"  hold  good,  to  wit,  that  "  good  communi- 
cations purify  bad  manners,"  then  we  may  reasonably 
hope  that  the  quiet  intercourse  of  the  men  of  the  church 
with  others,  their  blameless  example,  their  solid,  if  not 
imposing  intelligence,  will  be  constantly  operating,  like 
a  wholesome  leaven  in  the  general  mass  of  mind  till  the 
whole  is  leavened.    The  upright  walk,  the  sphere  of 


64 


THE  PBIESTHOOD  A^TD  THE  KINGSHIP. 


charity,  the  unwearied  study  of  use — all  which  will  be 
sure  to  make  themselves  known  and  felt — will  no  doubt 
effect  as  much  in  concentrating  attention  upon  the  truths 
of  the  church  as  the  discourses  and  appeals  of  a  commis- 
sioned clergy,  who  will  always  have  to  contend,  more  or 
less,  with  the  prejudice  founded  upon  the  fact  that  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  is  with  them  a  paid  calling  in- 
stead of  a  voluntary  service. 

But  this  noiseless  and  unobtrusive  insemination  of 
good  and  truth,  within  the  range  of  each  one's  personal 
influence,  is  not  the  sole  ground  of  reliance  in  the  prop- 
agation of  the  doctrines  and  life  of  the  New  Church. 
The  press  is  the  great  executive  ministry  of  the  present 
age.  It  is  by  its  instrumentality  that  the  furtherance  of 
the  Lord's  kingdom  on  the  earth  is  mainly  to  be  effect- 
ed. Here,  then,  is  the  channel  through  which  New 
Church  efforts  are  to  be  made  to  tell  upon  the  progress 
of  truth  and  righteousness.  The  press  we  deem  a  vastly 
more  efficient  agency  of  the  church  than  an  ordained 
clergy  ;  and  could  the  large  sums  annually  exj^ended  in 
paying  salaries  and  building  churches,  be  laid  out  in 
publishing  and  circulating  the  writings  of  the  church, 
we  are  satisfied  that  a  far  more  substantive  use  would  be 
accomplished  for  the  cause  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  And 
let  us  here  say,  that  while  the  employment  of  lay  mis- 
sionaries and  colporteurs  in  great  numbers  and  on  a  large 
scale  may  not  be  without  its  good  results,  yet,  after  all, 
this  system  of  operation  is  apt  to  serve  as  a  virtual  dis- 
charge of  the  mass  of  members  from  the  duty  of  direct 
personal  effort  in  this  sphere.  The  proper  state  of  things 
will  not  be  reached  till  every  one  who  prizes  the  spirit- 
ual treasures  of  the  New  Church  shall  feel  himself  con- 
strained to  become  a  missionary  to  his  neighbor,  without 
waiting  to  have  the  work  done  to  his  hands  by  a  proxy. 
"Why  should  not  every  Newchurchraan  feel  himself 
bound,  according  to  his  ability,  to  keep  on  hand  a  supply 
of  the  writings  with  which  to  furnish,  by  sale  or  gift, 
those  whom  he  may  regard  as  proper  objects  of  such  a 
favor  ?   The  apathy  which  has  heretofore  so  widely  pre- 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


C5 


vailed  on  this  score,  is  no  doubt  referable  to  the  same 
general  cause  to  which  we  have  traced  so  many  of  the 
evils  that  have  afflicted  the  church.  The  obligations  of 
duty  have  been  commuted  on  the  principle  of  clerical 
substitution,  and  instea^j-l  of  beino;  sacredly  discharged 
have  been  secularly  disbursed.  We  look,  eventually, 
for  an  entirely  different  procedure  in  this  respect.  We 
can  form  no  idea  of  a  truly  prosperous  state  of  the 
cliurch,  but  one  in  which  the  individual  shall  more  and 
more  assert  himself — in  which  individual  effort  and 
action  shall  not  be  so  perpetually  merged  in  association. 
Still  we  would  by  no  means  forego  this  kind  of  ministra- 
tion to  the  uses  of  the  Isew  Church.  In  the  matter  of 
printing  and  publishing  they  are  of  immense  importance. 
But  our  ideal  of  a  zealous  jSTewchurchman,  is  of  one  who 
is  so  intent  upon  ministering  to  the  spiritual  weal  of  his 
fellow-creatures,  that  just  in  proportion  to  his  worldly 
means,  he  will  not  only  purchase  and  distribute  the 
works  of  the  church,  but,  if  needs  be,  will  actually,  in 
particular  cases,  publish  and  distribute  them  at  his  own 
cost,  where  he  is  persuaded  a  great  use  will  be  thereby 
accomplished.  At  any  rate,  most  cordially  will  he  come 
forward  to  sustain  the  labors  of  those  who,  as  a  class, 
would  fain  dedicate  their  powers,  by  means  of  the  pen, 
to  the  building  up  of  the  walls  and  temples  of  the  New 
Jerusalem. 

But  we  are  admonished  that  we  cannot  indefinitely 
extend  our  thoughts  even  upon  the  momentous  theme 
before  us.  We  have  uttered  ourselves  upon  it  with  all 
frankness  and  freedom,  and  in  full  view  of  the  conse- 
quences. We  have  been  all  along  aware  of  the  "revolt 
of  mien,"  of  the  estrangement  of  confidence,  of  the 
alienated  sympathy,  which  the  declaration  of  such  senti- 
ments will  not  fail  to  encounter  in  the  minds  of  many  of 
our  brethren.  That  they  will  strike  their  minds  as  the 
very  extreme  of  destructive  radicalism,  is  more  than 
probable.  Nevertheless,  we  have  spoken  advisedly ; 
and  however  we  may  deprecate  the  sinister  judgment 
and  the  sombre  auguries  of  those  whose  good  opinion  we 


CO 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSIIH'. 


covet,  we  are  prej^ared  to  encounter  them,  if  fidelity  to 
truth  makes  it  inevitable.  We  liave  only  to  request, 
that  whatever  exceptions  may  be  taken  to  the  views  pro- 
pounded, tliey  may  be  taken  to  the  abstract  argument 
itself,  and  nut  to  the  practical  iHterences  which  we  may 
be  supposeil  to  draw  from  it.  AVe  can  readily  perceive 
how  natural  would  be  the  conclusion,  that  if  an  external 
priesthood  in  the  New  Church  be  a  falsity,  it  ought  of 
course  to  be  regarded  as  a  nonentit}',  and  that  therefore 
the  whole  system  should  be  abandoned  instanter,  as  a 
crying  abomination  before  heaven.  We  have  already 
spoken  in  pre-arrest  of  any  such  sentence  as  this.  We 
are  no  advocates  of  sudden  changes  in  the  fixed  habits 
and  usages  of  the  Christian  world.  We  would  precipi- 
tate nothing  before  the  fitting  time.  The  present  order 
of  things  involves,  indeed,  a  multitude  of  evils,  but  it  has 
gradually  supervened  upon  the  order  of  heaven,  and 
gradually  must  it  be  removed.  Meanwhile  we  have  for 
ourselves  not  the  slightest  hesitation,  in  view  of  the  pre- 
sent exigency,  to  act  in  a  capacity  which  is  ordinarily 
termed  clerical,  for  the  Divine  Providence  has  the  lowest 
as  well  as  the  highest  states  of  the  church  under  its 
auspices  ;  and  for  the  same  reason,  Ave  have  no  denunci- 
ations to  utter  against  the  general  body  of  those  who  now 
sustain  the  sacred  office,  and  of  whom  it  cannot  justly  be 
doubted  that  they  have  entered  it  with  the  most  upright 
intentions,  and  who  continue  to  administer  it  according 
to  the  best  light  they  have  respecting  its  nature  and  ends. 

But  all  this  does  not  vacate  the  force  of  our  reasoning. 
In  respect  to  our  main  position— the  utter  repugnance  of 
a  priestly  or  clerical  caste  to  the  genius  of  the  New  Dis- 
pensation— we  are  firm  and  immovable;  and  fain  would 
we  have  every  member  of  the  Lord's  Church  appreciate 
fully  his  birthright,  and  act  under  the  consciousness  of 
the  high  things  involved  in  his  prerogative.  Regarding 
it  no  more  as  an  exclusive  prerogative,  confined  to  a  cer- 
tain privileged  order,  and  fixing  the  thought,  not  upon 
the  shadow  but  upon  the  substance,  let  every  New 
Church  Christian  realize,  that  whatever  is  embraced 


illli  rKlICSTUOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


G7 


within  the  functions  of  the  pi'icstly  and  tlie  royal  office, 
pertains  truly  to  him  in  and  under  the  Lord  ;  and  let 
liini  therefore  walk  feeling  charged  with  the  responsibility 
«if  this  sacred  character.  Every  one  without  exception  is 
a  king  and  a  priest,  so  fiir  as  he  is  in  the  ti'uth  and  good 
uf  the  Lord's  Kingdom,  and  that,  too,  "  miimpeached  of 
usurpation,  and  to  no  man's  wrong."  It  is  not  alone  in 
consecrated  ranks  that  we  are  to  look  fur  the  priests  of 
the  Lord's  heritage.  Wherever  you  find  one  that  is  meek, 
gentle,  guileless,  loving,  truthful,  and  wise — wliu  is  in 
the  life  of  love — whose  s])here  is  bland  and  attractive, 
because  his  spirit  is  deeply  leavened  witli  charity — whose 
speech  is  marked  by  a  certain  unction  indicative  of  an 
inward  fountain  of  delight — there  is  to  you  one  whom 
you  may  safely  acknowledge  as  a  "  priest  of  the  Most 
High  God."  it  matters  not  that  ordaining  hands  may 
not  have  been  laid  npon  his  head.  It  matters  not  that 
he  may  be  nnable  to  bring  due  credentials  of  the  fact  of 
his  falling  into  the  line  of  the  apostolic  succession.  To 
you  he  is  a  priest,  because  it  is  in  these  very  qualities 
that  the  priestly  principle  consists,  and  if  you  j^ossess 
these  qualities,  you  thereby  become  in  like  manner  a 
priest  to  others.  The  unction  of  love  is  the  only  oil  of 
consecration  by  which  the  true  priests  of  the  church  are 
now  to  be  inaugurated. 

A  similar  vein  of  remark  is  applicable  also  to  the 
kingship,  the  spiritual  dignity  ibunded  upon  Truth. 
The  man  most  largely  enduwed  with  this  principle,  when 
derived  from  good,  is  clothed,  from  the  necessity  of  the 
case,  with  a  sort  of  royalty,  wliich  will  be  very  certain  to 
be  felt  and  acknowledged  by  those  who  come  in  contact 
with  his  sphei  e.  In  this  republican  land,  the  name  of 
king,  as  a  civil  ruler,  is  very  offensive,  and  that  too  upon 
very  good  grounds.  But  the  true  interior  quality  deno- 
ted by  the  title,  to  wit,  truth  ruling,  and  involving  the 
idea  of  ascendency,  predominance,  weight,  influence, 
moral  control,  characterize  the  man  to  whom  the  term  is 
applicable.  His  judgment  rules  in  counsels,  and  submis- 
sion to  it  is  easy  and  natural.    "  In  heaven  one  prefers 


68 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  THE  KINGSHIP. 


anotlier  to  himself  as  he  excels  in  intelligence  and  wis- 
dom :  the  love  itself  of  good  and  truth,  produces  this 
effect,  that  every  one  subordinates  himself,  as  it  were,  of 
himself,  to  those  who  are  in  the  wisdom  of  good  and  the 
intelligence  of  truth  superior  to  himself." — A.  C.  7773. 
There  is  nothing  forced  or  galling,  to  a  right  mind,  in  the 
deference  paid  to  truth,  when  assured  that  it  is  truth — 
truth  flowing  from  a  Divine  source — for  it  seenis  identical 
with  the  light  of  our  own  intelligence  which  we  cannot 
choose  but  obey  ;  whereas,  let  any  one  endeavor  to 
bear  down  heavily  upon  us  by  the  simple  dead  weight  of 
official  standing,  of  power  and  authority,  and  we  are 
soon  goaded  into  indignant  resistance.  Such  govern- 
ment is  not  royalty  but  despotism,  and  against  this  the 
free  spirit  of  the  Lord's  people  array's  and  braces  itself 
with  instinctive  ])romptitude.  But  the  sceptre  of 
genuine  truth  is  a  golden  sceptre,  i.  e.  having  the  element 
of  good  as  its  basis ;  and  such  a  sceptre  is  wielded  by 
every  one  of  the  spiritual  kings  in  the  Lord's  Church. 
To  this  species  of  royalty  let  every  son  of  the  kingdom 
aspire,  and  in  him  will  be  fulfilled  the  self-affirmed  but 
divinely  authorized  predication  of  the  inspired  "Word, 
which  is  but  an  echo  to  the  language  of  our  text,  "  Thou 
hast  made  us  unto  our  God  Kings  and  Priests,  and  we 
shall  reign  upon  the  earth." 


PREACHING. 


IN  REPLY  TO  REV.  GEORGE  FIELD. 

In  the  second  volume  of  the  Repository  (Fei).  1849) 
we  bad  occasion  to  notice  the  Ileport  of  a  Coinniittce  on 
Lectures  and  Licenses  made  at  the  Seventh  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Michigan  and  Northern  Indiana  Associa- 
tion of  the  New  Church,  held  Feb.  3,  1849,  in  which  it 
was  resolved,  as  the  sense  of  the  committee,  that  "  Every 
member  of  this  Association,  in  accordance  witli  what  is 
taught  in  Doct.  Char.  No.  101,  consider  the  communica- 
tion of  free  and  sincere  instruction  on  religious  matters, 
according  to  his  ability  and  disposition,  to  be  at  once  his 
duty  and  his  2)rivilege."  From  this  resolution  the  Rev. 
George  Field,  as  a  minority  of  one,  dissented,  and  offered 
a  report,  siibsequently  published,  whicli  was  entitled  "  A 
Protest  of  the  Minority  of  the  Committee  on  Lectures 
and  Licenses  against  that  part  of  the  (majority)  Report 
whicli  acknowledges  the  right  of  Lay  Inauguration  into 
the  priestly  office  ;  and  of  Preaching  without  Ordination 
or  License."  This  Protest  of  Mr.  Field  we  published  in 
the  March  number  of  the  Repository,  (181:9,)  and  in 
reference  to  the  following  paragraph,  felt  constrained  to 
advert  to  what  we  deemed  a  philological  error  in  his 
reasoning  upon  Acts,  viii.  4,  "  They  that  were  scattered 
abroad  went  every  where  preaching  the  Word,"  from 
which  the  inference  is  di'awn  in  the  majority  report  that 
these  were  laymen.    Ujwn  this  Mr.  F,  remarks  : 

"  Both  in  the  Greek  and  Latin,  there  are  two  different  words  used 
for  that  which  is  rendered  in  English  by  this  one  word,  preaching.  In 
the  Latin,  one  word  is  pmdico,  which  is  literally  what  we  mean  by 
preaching,  and  is  used  to  denote  the  addressing  of  a  large  number 
of  persons,  either  in  the  Synagogue,  the  Temple,  or  the  open  air.  The 
other  word  is  evangelus,  or  an  evangelist,  i.  e.  the  bearer  of  good  news, 
such  as  went  from  house  to  house,  bearing  intelligence  of  the  joyful 


70 


I'KEACIU.NG. 


tidiugs  ;  those  who  evangelized  therefore  were  not  performing  the  proper 
functions  of  a  priest,  or  publicly  preaching,  but  such  as  by  private  in- 
struction and  exhortation  went  from  place  to  place.  This,  though 
sometimes  performed  by  the  Apostles  themselves,  was  nevertheless, 
more  particularly  the  province  of  the  evangelizcrs,  who  are  called 
'Assistant  preachers  of  the  Apostles.'  (See  Gr.  Lex.)  Now  the 
word  used  in  the  passage  above  (luoted  (Acts  viii.  4)  for  preaching  is 
evangelizautes,  or  the  carrying  with  them  wherever  they  were  scattered 
abroad  the  Gospel  news.  But  in  the  very  next  verse,  where  mention  is 
made  of  Philip  (an  Apostle)  going  down  to  them  and  preaching  to  the 
citizens  of  Samaria,  who  were  assembled  to  hear  him,  the  word  used 
is  pradicabat.    Thus,  this  text  actually  refutes  the  very  position  it  was 


To  this  we  replied  in  the  following  remarks  : 
Now  tlie  fiict  is,  the  original  word  here  is  ixj;pv(sa$, 
ekericsse,  wliicli  is  not  fairly  represented  by  the  English 
wordpreach.  Campbell,  in  his  Dissertation  on  this  and 
kindred  terms  {Prelim.  Dissert,  vol.  i.,  p.  230),  after  re- 
marking that  Iceinisso  comes  from  kerux,  a  crier,  also  a 
herald,  and  signifies  to  cry,  iniblisli,  or  proclaim,  and 
Tierugma,  ilie  thing  p)Mished  or  proclaimed,  goes  on  to 
say: — '■'•To  preach  is  defined  by  Johnson,  in  Iiis  dic- 
tionary, '  to  pronounce  a  public  discoiute  upon  sacred 
subjects.'  This  expresses  with  sufficient  exactness  the 
idea  we  commonly  aflix  !o  the  term.  Y~  <v  v/c  may  admit 
that  the  attendant  circuMistances  of  church,  pulpit,  text, 
worship,  are  but  a])pen(l;!ges.  But  the  definition  given 
by  the  English  lexicogr;;pher  cannot  bo  called  an  inter- 
pretation of  the  term  kcnisso,  as  used  in  scripture.  For 
so  far  is  it  from  being  n.'cessary  that  the  herugma  should 
be  a  discourse,  that  it  may  be  only  a  single  sentence,  and 
a  very  short  sentence  too.  Nay,  to  such  brief  notifica- 
tions we  shall  find  the  term  most  frequently'  aj^plied. 
Besides,  the  word  Icerusso  and  herugma  were  adopted 
with  equal  propriety,  whether  the  subject  were  sacred  or 
civil.  Again,  though  the  verb  herusso  always  applied 
public  notice  of  some  event  either  accomplished  or  about 
to  be  accomplished,  often  accompanied  with  a  warning 
to  do  or  forbear  something ;  it  never  denoted  either  a 
comment  on,  or  explanatioti  of,  any  doctrine,  critical  ob- 


PKEACHLNG. 


71 


serrations  on,  or  illustrations  of,  any  subject,  or  a  chain 
of  reasoning  in  proof  of  a  particular  sentiment.  And  if 
so,  to  pronounce  publicly  such  a  discourse  as,  with  us,  is 
denominated  sermon,  homily,  lecture  or  preaching,  would 
by  no  means  come  within  the  meaning  of  the  word  in  its 
first  and  most  common  acceptation.  It  is  not  therefore 
so  nearly  synonymous  with  didasJiO,  to  teach,  as  is  now 
commonly  imagined." 

To  these  remarks  Mr.  F.  sent  us  a  rejoinder,  which 
was  published  in  the  Repository  for  May  (18i9).  This 
we  now  give  in  full  with  our  comments  upon  the  positions 
involved : 

Deap.  Sik, 

Will  you  be  kind  enouprh  to  show  me  in  what  way  my  remarks  on 
Acts  viii.  4,  "  betray  a  philological  error,''  as  I  confess  myself  at  a  loss 
to  sec  it,  from  your  present  criticism.  I  have  <':\\rt\  t!i;it  there  are 
generally  two  words,  both  in  the  Greek  and  I>:  ts,  which 

arc  given  in  the  English  version  by  the  one  \.  ini;' ;"  and 

that  the  Latin  word  answeriii^  to  the  Greek  t.t .  ;  ^  -  <  ro,  which 
is  literally  what  we  mean  by  prcacliing,  and  is  used  to  denote  the  ad- 
dressing of  a  large  number  of  persons,  cither  in  the  Synagogue,  tlie 
Temple,  or  the  open  air. 

Whatever  force  there  may  be  in  yuur  objection,  seems  to  be  con- 
veyed in  the  assertion  that  the  original  Greek  word  f^e)-!(»'e,  "  is  not 
fairly  represented  by  the  English  wcrd  praich."  On  this,  I  would  re- 
mark, that  I  believe  in  every  case  where  the  word  "  ekerusse''  is  used 
in  the  Greek  Testament,  its  syiniiiym  in  the  Latin  h  prcedico,pra:dicans, 
&c.  I  presume,  therefore,  tliat  it  will  be  admitted  that  ckcriis^c  is 
fairly  represented  in  the  Latin  tongne  by  pradico  as  its  equivalent. 

And  not  only  from  such  authorities  as  I  have  at  hand  does  it  appear 
that  the  English  word  "  preach,"  is  synonymous  with  thc_  Latin  prcedico 
and  the  Greek  ekerussc,  but  that  the  meaning  given  in  each  language  is 
the  same ;  as  confirmed  by  the  constant  use  of  this  word  in  the  New 
Testament  in  the  same  sense  as  given  by  myself,  and  as  defined  by 
lexicographers,  and  admitted  by  you. 

In  the  London  Encyclopaedia  this  word  is  thus  defined,  "  Preach — 
French,  pmc/tc;- ,•  Latin,  ;j)a;(7 /co  ,■  to  deliver  a  public  discourse  upon 
sacred  subjects  ;  to  proclaim  ;  publish ;  inculcate  : — a  preacher  is  one 
who  discourses  publicly  on  religion.  .  .  .  '  There  is  not  anything 
publicly  notified,  but  we  may  properly  say  it  is  preached.' — Hooker." 
Worcester  defines  it  thus,  "  Preach — [prxdico,\^a.im—preclier,  Fr.] 
to  discourse  publicly  on  the  Gospel,  «fcc. ;  to  pronounce  a  public  dis- 
course upon  a  sacred  subject :"  also,  "  to  proclaim  or  publish  in  reli- 
gious orations  or  sermons ;  to  inculcate  publicly ;  to  teach."  And 


72 


PKKACIHNG. 


Webster,  in  strict  agreement  with  the  above,  says,  it  is  to  "  pronounce 
a  public  discourse  on  a  religious  subject,  or  from  a  text  of  Scripture. 
To  discourse  on  the  Gospel  way  of  salvation,  and  exhort  to  repentance. 
To  proclaim  ;  to  publish  in  religious  discourses,"  &c. 

If  ypu  will  compare  these  definitions  with  the  one  given  by  myself 
as  the  meaning  of  clicrum  and  pradico,  I  think  you  must  admit  that 
they  agree  precisely ;  nothing  is  said  of  the  length  of  time  used  in 
preaching  ;  whether  it  be  an  hour,  half  an  hour,  or  fifteen  minutes ;  but 
that  the  preachers  were  the  public  heralds  of  the  Lord's  advent ;  speak- 
ing l)y  authority  as  a  herald  should.  And  so  far  as  I  can  find,  in  every 
place  where  the  L'ird  wa^  Ihus  publicly  proclaimed,  it  was  by  a  com- 
missioned preacher,  and  in  every  instance  where  it  is  recorded,  the 
Greeli  word  used  is  r/a /  esse,  which  is  answered  in  the  Latin  by  ^?-(EJico. 
Thus  when  John  ■prcudici]  in  the  wilderness  (Mark  i.  4),  "There  went 
out  unto  him  all  the  laud  of  Judea,  and  they  of  Jerusalem,"  &c.  :  and 
he  preached  the  remission  of  sins,  and  said,  '•  there  cometh  one  mightier 
than  I,  after  me,  the  latchet  of  wlio-c  sIim.n  I  am  not  worthy  to  stoop 
down  and  unloose."  "  And  lie  y.ua  \\\.'"  Ilicm.Lct  us  go  into  the  next 
towns  that  I  may  preach  there  iii-n.  ^\iiil  he  preached  in  their  syna- 
gogues throughout  all  Galilee,"  Mark  i.  39.  And  Jesus  "preached 
in  the  synagogues  of  Galilee."  Luke  iv.  4-J.  And  Saul  preached  Christ 
in  the  synagogues.  Acts  ix.  20.  Peler  also  says,  that  the  Lord  com- 
manded him  "  to  preach  unto  the  i)eo])le,"  Acts  x.  42. 

In  all  these  places  the  Greek  word  is  the  same  [ekerusse),  and  the 
meaning  coincides  precisely  wilh  that  given  above  ot'  ^'reaching.  How 
long  time  they  jireaclu'd,  is  imt  knnwii.  It  is  not  probable  that  in  any 
case  all  tin'  wmd;  tlicy  lUt  'iod  are  recorded,  or  but  little  more  than 
the  suliji'ct  di' their  discMiir-;'.  'I'lius  upon  one  occasion  in  the  sj^na- 
gogue  when  the  Lord  timk  a  text  from  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  updii  Ac,  and  "  the  eyes  of  all  them  that 

were  in  the  synagogue  wnr  r.i,t(.i;( d  on  him.  And  He  began  to  say 
unto  them.  This  day  is  tlir  Sri  ipt -in,^  fulfilled  in  your  ears.  And  all 
bare  Him  witness  and  vvOMli-.cd  a!  the  gracious  words  which  proceeded 
out  of  His  mouth,"  Luke  i v. —  those  divine  words  which  produced  this 
astonished  feding  do  not  appear  to  }ic  recorded  at  all. 

I  cannot  but  think  also  that  your  author  (Cami)ljell)  must  be  wrong 
in  saying  that  this  word  (ckcnc<^e)  wa.s  "  adopted  with  equal  propriety, 
whether  the  sutycct  were  sacred  or  civil."  Is  it  ever  used  in  the  New 
Testament  to  proclaim  merely  civil  news?  It  seems  to  me  to  contain 
too  much  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  (kurios )  in  it,  to  admit  of  its  being 
properly  used  for  any  other  purpose  than  to  announce  His  advent ;  i.  e. 
a  coming  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ; — proclaiming  by  authority  and 
dogmatic  teaching  His  coming  to  redeem  and  save— crying  that  name 
in  the  wilderness,  and  publishing  it  abroad  in  all  the  earth.  Thus 
preaching  is  truly  a  public  annunciation  of  the  Lord,  and  the  conditions 
of  salvatwu,  to  collect  audiences  whether  at  His  first  or  second  advent ; 
whilst  evangelizing  was  properly  the  more  private  act  of  telling  it  to 
individuals  or  families,  in  a  conversational,  or  social  capacity  ;  as  when 


TREACHING. 


73 


it  is  written  that  Philip  preached  to  the  Enunch,  the  word  used  is  uot 
ekenisse,  but  evangelisato. 

As  I  wish  to  be  right  in  every  point,  on  this  subject  as  well  as 
others,  I  have  endeavored  to  be  so  ;  but  if  you  in  any  particular  show 
me  truly  where  I  err,  I  shall  be  thankful  for  the  information,  and  will 
endeavor  to  profit  by  it.  But  permit  me  to  say  a  word  more  in  con- 
clusion ;  I  think  you  have  hardly  been  just  in  making  it  appear  that 
the  weight  of  my  objection  to  the  inference  drawn  from  the  narrative 
in  Acts  viii.  4,  depended  upon  what  you  have  termed  a  "  philological 
error,"  as  it  appears  to  me  to  be  refuted  without  the  verbal  criticism 
which  I  offered. 

With  sincere  regard  for  your  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
I  remain  very  truly,  yours, 

George  Field. 

Detroit,  Mich.,  1849. 

The  ground  upon  which  we  employed  tlie  phrase 
"  philological  error,"  in  reference  to  Mr.  Field's  report, 
was  what  we  deemed  the  want  of  a  due  discrimination 
in  regard  to  the  Scripture  usage  of  the  terms  geiicrally 
rendered  in  our  version  to  ^wcrtcA,  and  the  building  an 
important  conclusion  upon  a  translation  instead  of  appeal- 
ing directly  and  mainly  to  the  original.  He  says,  for 
example,  in  the  passage  quoted,  that,  "  both  in  the  Greek 
and  Latin  there  are  two  different  words  used  for  that 
which  is  rendered  in  English  by  this  one  word,  preacli- 
itig.  In  the  Latin,  our  word  is  prcedico,  which  is  literally 
what  we  mean  by  yreacliing.,  and  is  used  to  denote  the 
addressing  of  a  large  number  of  persons  either  in  the 
Synagogue,  the  Temple,  or  the  open  air."  Now  it  is 
plain  that  this  is  interpreting  the  Greek  from  the  Latin 
— whereas,  the  reverse  is  the  true  process — and  leading 
the  English  reader  to  suppose  that  pnvdico  in  Latin,  and 
preach  in  English  are  perfect  equivalents  to  kerusso  in 
Greek.  This  we  attempted  to  show,  in  regard  to  the  lat- 
ter, is  not  the  case,  and  with  this  view  we  quoted,  at 
some  length,  from  Campbell,  a  passage  going  to  prove 
that  the  leading  idea  conveyed  by  the  Greek  kerusso, 
from  kerux,  a,  crier  or  herald,  is  not  fairly  represented  by 
the  leading  idea  involved  in  the  English  word  jyreac/i, 
which  is  defined  by  Johnson  and  by  Mr.  Field's  authori- 
ties,    to  pronounce  a  public  discourse  upon  sacred  sub- 


74 


PREACHING. 


jects."  The  scoj^e  of  our  brotliev's  argument  is  to  evince 
that  the  function  indicated  by  the  term  translated  jo/'(;<zcA 
was  not  properly  to  be  performed  by  laymen,  although 
the  office  denoted  by  evangelizo  (from  evangehs^  evangel- 
ist) m\g\\t  be  discharged  by  them.  "Those  who  evan- 
gelized were  not  performing  the  proper  functions  of  a 
priest  or  publicly  preaching,  but  sucli  as  by  private  in- 
struction and  exhortation,  went  from  place  to  place." 
jSTow,  to  say  nothing  of  the  implication  in  these  words, 
that  public  preaching  was  a  ])art  of  the  priest's  office, 
whereas  his  duty  was  solely  to  offer  sacrifices  and  minis- 
ter at  the  altar,  the  function  of  preaching^  according  to 
the  genuine  purport  of  the  original  word,  was  as  open  to 
what  are  considered  the  laity  as  that  denoted  by  the  term 
for  evangelizing.  As  it  implies,  in  its  dominant  import, 
simply  announcing.,  2:)rodainiing.,  indAishing.,  or  acting 
the  part  of  a  herald  or  crier.,  every  one  v^-ho  had  himself 
received  the  message  of  the  Gospel,  was  at  liberty  to 
announce  or  'promulgate  it  to  others. 

As  Campbell  in  his  preliminary  dissertations  has  gone 
most  elaborately  into  the  usage  of  the  New  Testament 
writers  in  respect  to  this  whole  class  of  words  having  re- 
lation to  what  is  usuall}' understood  h^'  pr caching.,  I  shall 
again  draw  upon  his  pages  in  this  connection. 

"  Further,  I  must  take  notice,  that  though  announcing 
publicly  the  reign  of  the  Messiah  comes  always  under 
the  denomination,  liermsein.,  no  moral  instructions,  or 
doctrinal  explanations,  given  either  by  our  Lord,  or  by 
his  apostles  are  ever,  either  in  the  Gospels  or  in  the  Acts, 
so  denominated.  Thus,  that  most  instructive  discourse 
of  our  Lord,  tlie  longest  that  is  recorded  in  the  Gospel, 
commonly  named  his  sermon  on  the  mount,  is  called 
teaching  by  the  evangelist,  both  in  introducing  it,  and 
after  the  conclusion  (Matt.  v.  2,  vii.  28,  29).  '  Opening 
his  mouth,  he  taught  them.,  saying :'  and,  '  when  Jesus  had 
ended  these  sayings,  the  people  were  astonished,  at  his 
doctrine,^  his  manner  of  teaching.  It  is  added,  '  for  he 
taught  them  as  one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the 
Scribes.'    He  is  said  to  have  been  employed  in  teaching 


I'KEACHING. 


75 


(Matt.  xiii.  54,  Mark  vi.  2,  Luke  vi.  15,  22)  when  the 
wisdom,  which  slione  forth  in  his  discourses,  excited  the 
astonishment  of  all  who  heard  hini.  In  like  manner,  the 
instructions  he  gave  by  parables,  are  called  teaching  the 
people,  not  preaching  to  them  (Mark  iv.  1,  2)  and  those 
given  in  private  to  his  apostles,  are  in  the  same  way 
styled  (Mark  viii.  31)  teaching,  never  preaching.  And 
if  teaching  and  preaching  be  found  sometimes  coupled 
together,  the  reason  appears  to  be,  because  their  teaching, 
in  the  beginning  of  this  new  dispensation,  must  have 
been  frequently  introduced  by  announcing  the  Messiah, 
which  alone  was  preaching.  The  explanations,  admoni- 
tions, arguments  and  motives,  that  followed,  came  under 
the  denomination  of  teaching.  Nor  does  anything  else 
spoken  by  our  Lord  and  his  disciples,  in  his  lifetime, 
appear  to  have  been  called  preaching,  but  this  single 
sentence,  '  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.' 
In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  difference  of  meaning  in 
the  two  words  is  carefully  observed.  The  former  is 
always  a  general  and  open  declaration  of  the  Messiah's 
reign,  called  emphatically  the  good  news,  or  Gospel ;  or, 
which  amounts  to  the  same,  the  announcing  of  the  great 
foundation  of  our  hope,  the  Messiah's  resurrection  ;  the 
latter  comprehends  every  kind  of  instruction,  public  or 
private,  that  is  necessary  for  illustrating  the  nature  and 
laws  of  this  kingdom,  for  confuting  gainsayers,  per- 
suading the  hearers,  for  confirming  and  comforting 
believers.  The  proper  subject  for  each  is  fitly  expressed 
in  the  conclusion  of  this  book  (Acts  xxxviii.  31),  where, 
speaking  of  Paul,  then  confined  at  Rome  in  a  hired 
house,  the  author  tells  us  that  he  received  all  who  came 
to  him,  '■preacJdvy  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching 
the  things  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  An- 
nouncing to  them  the  reign  of  God,  and  instructing  them 
in  everything  that  related  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

In  a  subsequent  paragraph  be  thus  comments  on  the 
Latin  translation  of  the  original : — 

"  In  regard  to  the  manner  wherein  this  word  has  been 
translated,  with   which   I  shall   finish   what  relates 


76 


PREACrilNG. 


peculiarly  to  it,  we  may  observe  that prcedicare^  used  in 
the  Vulgate,  and  in  all  the  Latin  versions,  corresponds 
entirely  to  tlie  Greek  word  in  its  primitive  meaning,  and 
signifies  to  give  public  notice  by  proclamation.  In  this 
sense  it  had  been  used  by  the  Latin  classics,  long  before 
the  Latin  translation  of  the  Bible  into  their  tongue.  But 
pr(BdiGare,  having  been  employed  uniformly  in  rendering 
herusscin^  not  only  in  the  history,  but  in  the  Epistles, 
has  derived  from  the  latter  use  a  signification  different 
and  much  more  limited  than  it  has  in  profane  authors. 
Now,  this  additional  or  acquired  signification  is  that 
which  has  principally  obtained  amongst  ecclesiastics ; 
and  hence  has  arisen  the  sole  meaning  in  modern  lan- 
guages ascribed  to  the  Word,  whereby  they  commonly 
render  the  Greek  Tcerusso.  The  Latin  word  is  manifestly 
that  from  which  the  Italian  lyrmlicare,  the  French 
preacher,  and  the  English  to  preach,  are  derived.  Yet 
these  three  words  correspond  to  the  Latin  only  in  the 
last  mentioned  and  ecclesiastical  sense,  not  in  the  primi- 
tive and  classical,  which  is  also  the  Scriptural  sense  in 
the  Gospel  and  Acts.  Thus  the  learned  Academicians 
della  Crusca,  in  their  Vocabulary,  interpret  the  Italian 
predicare,  not  by  the  Latin  prmdicare,  its  etymon,  but 
by  concionari,  concionem  hahere  /  terms  certainly  much 
nearer  than  the  other  to  the  import  of  the  word  used  in 
the  other  two  languages  mentioned,  though  by  no  means 
adapted  to  express  the  sense  of  herxmein  in  the  historical 
books.  Th  is  is  another  evidence  of  what  was  observed 
in  a  former  dissertation,  that  a  mistake,  occasioned  by 
supposing  the  word  in  the  original,  exactly  correspondent 
to  the  term  in  the  common  version,  by  which  it  is  usually 
rendered,  is  often  confirmed,  instead  of  being  corrected 
by  recurring  to  translations  into  other  modern  tongues, 
inasmuch  as  from  the  same,  or  similar  causes,  the  like 
deviation  from  the  original  import  has  been  produced  in 
these  languages  as  in  our  own." 

From  all  this  we  may  perhaps  deem  ourselves  war- 
ranted in  applying  the  phrase  "  philological  error"  to  the 
remarks  of  Mr.  Field  on  the  import  of  the  original  word 


PEEACHING. 


77 


for  preaching.  In  regard  to  the  peculiar  meaning  of 
evangelizo,  evangelos^  as  denoting  the  impartation  of  good 
news,  our  friend  is  no  doubt  correct,  but  when  he  would 
make  it  a  distinction  between  this  term  and  Icerusso,  that 
the  one  donoted  a  function  which  none  but  the  clergy- 
could  properly  perform,  while  the  other  fell  within  the 
sphere  of  laical  uses,  we  are  obliged  to  dissent  from  his 
position  altogether.  And  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
while  in  Acts  viii.  4,  5,  we  read  that  when  "  tliey  were 
scattered  abroad  and  went  every  where  preaching 
{evangellizantes)  the  word,  then  Philip  went  down  to 
the  city  of  Samaria,  and  preached  {ekerusse)  Christ  unto 
them ;"  yet  in  v.  12,  of  the  same  chapter  we  find  the 
phraseology  varied ;  but  when  they  believed  Philip 
jyreaching  {evangelUzomeiio)  the  things  concerning  the 
Kingdom  of  God,"  &c.  Indeed  as  a  Newchurchman  we 
presume  Mr.  Field  will  appreciate  the  following  note  of 
Mr.  Clowes  on  Luke  viii.  1,  "  And  it  came  to  pass  after- 
ward, that  he  went  throughout  every  city  and  village, 
preaching  (Jcerrusson)  and  declaring  the  glad  tidings 
{evangellizomenos)  of  the  kingdom  of  God."  "  A  dis- 
tinction," says  Mr.  Clowes,  "  is  here  made  between 
preaching  (Gr.  kerrusso)  and  declaring  the  glad  tidings 
of  {evangellizomenos) ;  preaching  having  more  respect 
to  the  affection  of  divine  and  heavenly  good  in  the  will., 
whilst  declaring  the  glad  tidings  of.,  has  more  respect  to 
the  illumination  of  the  divine  and  heavenly  truth  in  the 
understanding.  Thus  both  expressions  combined  have 
reference  to  and  mark  the  divine  and  heavenly  marriage 
of  good  and  truth,  with  which  the  whole  world  is  re2)len- 
ished."  If  this  be  well  founded,  then  it  would  seem 
that  preaching  rather  than  evangelizing  denotes  that 
"  insinuation  of  good"  which  Swedenborg  allows  to  every 
member  of  the  Church,  while  he  apparently  restricts  the 
"  insinuation  of  truth"  to  the  ''  teaching  minister." 

We  insert,  in  conclusion,  an  extract  from  "  Conder's 
Protestant  Non-Conformity,"  a  very  able  work,  treating 
of  the  fundamental  principles  of  ecclesiastical  policy.  It 
is  not  the  work  of  a  Newchurchraan,  but  it  contains 
8 


78 


PREACHTNG. 


ideas  very  much  in  accordance  with  New  Church  prin- 
ciples, and  for  ourselves  we  regard  the  following  extract 
as  decidedly  of  that  character. 

"  Truth  by  wliomsoever  it  is  promulgated,  cannot  but 
possess  the  same  intrinsic  authority.  The  fact  that  an 
individual  does  or  does  not  ])reach  the  truth  of  Christ, 
cannot  be  made  to  depend  upon  any  liypothesis  respect- 
ing his  having,  or  his  not  having,  the  right  to  preach  it. 
If  he  preaches  the  Gospel,  the  fact  is  placed  beyond  dis- 
pute that  he  is  competent  to  the  exercise  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  and  "what  is  there  that  can  be  interposed 
between  the  competence  and  the  right  ?  "Were  our  assent 
required  to  this  position,  that  it  is  not  every  one  who 
chooses  to  assume  the  ministerial  function  that  is  compe- 
tent to  discharge  it  with  fidelity  and  efficacy,  there  would 
be  no  difficulty  in  coming  to  an  agreement;  but  the  ad- 
vocates of  ecclesiastical  restrictions,  proceed  upon  the 
supposition  that  the  self-constituted  teacher  is  possessed 
of  the  requisite  knowledge,  the  moral  competency ;  a 
thing  very  different  from  n;ere  choice  ;  nevertheless,  his 
right  and  his  authority  are  represented  as  dependent  on 
human  a])]jointment.  If,  however,  as  we  believe,  this 
authority  is  of  a  purely  spiritual  nature,  and  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  is  one  of  those  religious  actions,  which 
•are  not  subject  to  magisterial  control,  wliile  we  deny 
that  any  man  may  preach  merely  because  he  chooses, 
we  affirm  that  his  choice,  which  may  possibly  spring 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  is  a  sufficient  reason  in  the  sight  of 
man.  A  person  cannot  be  said  to  believe  because  he 
chooses  to  believe ;  he  does  not  understand  that  which 
he  preaches  because  he  chooses  to  understand  it.  The 
will  is  not  itself  the  adequate  cause  of  such  voluntary 
actions.  If  there  is  any  truth  in  the  Scripture  declara- 
tion, that  '  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  neither  can  he  know  them,  because 
they  are  spiritually  discerned,  but  he  that  is  spiritual 
judgeth  all  things,' — then,  we  must  admit  that  a  capacity 
for  preaching  the  Gospel  with  intelligence,  is  not  a 
matter  dependent  either  on  human  fancy  on  the  one  hand, 


rREACrilNG. 


79 


or  on  political  reffnlrttions  on  the  other.  The  usurpation 
of  the  sacred  office  by  incompetent  persons,  is  an  evil 
which  the  interposition  of  ecclesiastical  restrictions  is  ill 
adapted  to  mitigate. 

"Eut  further  :  every  individual  has  a  natural  right  to 
the  free  assertion  and  argumentative  maintenance  of  his 
own  opinions,  provided  those  opinions  are  not  subversive 
of  social  order.  If  no  objection  lies  against  the  nature  of 
his  sentiments,  no  criminality  can  attach  to  the  most  un- 
reserved expression  of  them.  It  would  be  indeed 
strange  that  this  natural  right  should  be  lessened  in  pro- 
portion to  the  certain  truth  and  supreme  importance  of 
•what  he  teaches.  Yet  those  who  would  restrict  the  exer- 
cises of  the  Christian  ministry,  rest  their  arguments  on 
this  consideration,  that  it  is  the  Gospel  which  is  preached. 
The  objection  is  taken  not  against  the  truth  of  what  is 
taught,  but  against  the  authority  of  the  teaclier,  as  if  his 
natiiral  freedom  in  respect  of  the  assertion  of  what  he 
knows  to  be  true,  and  feels  to  be  infinitely  consecpiential, 
underwent  some  mysterious  modification,  when  the  truths 
which  he  labors  to  propagate  relate  to  the  salvation  of 
the  soul.  '  Master,'  said  the  disciples  to  our  Lord,  '  we 
saw  one  cascing  out  demons  in  thy  name,  and  we  forbade 
him,  because  he  followeth  not  with  i;s.'  Our  Lord's 
rejjly  stands  on  record  as  a  reproof  of  the  officious  zeal  of 
those  who,  in  a  similar  spirit  of  worldly  wisdom  and  sec- 
tarian policy,  would  impose  laws  on  the  church  which 
Cln-ist  lias  not  imposed,  and  exclude  from  the  ministry 
those  whom  he  has  not  excluded  : — '  Forbid  him  not ;  for 
he  that  is  not  against  us,  is  for  us.' — '  Wherefore  I  give 
you  to  understand,'  says  St.  Paul,  when  treating  expressly 
of  spiritual  gifts,  and  of  the  essential  unity  of  the  Church, 
'  that  no  man  speaking  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  calleth 
Jesus  accursed,  and  that  no  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is 
the  Lord  but  by  the  Ploly  Ghost.  There  are  diversities 
of  operation,  but  it  is  the  same  God,  whicli  worketh  all 
in  all.'  Neither  tlie  right,  then,  to  exercise  the  minis- 
terial function,  nor  the  authority  annexed  to  it,  originates 
in  the  will,  or  is  dependent  upon  the  appointment,  of  man. 

-•4.  -Y-  ;f.  .-t  -v.  -V.  .-i  * 


80 


PREACHING. 


"  Every  faitliful  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  in  fulfilling 
the  will  of  Christ,  claims  to  be  considered  as  invested 
with  a  necessary  ministerial  authority ;  an  authority 
simply  and  entirely  resulting  from  the  message  which  he 
promulgates  and  the  command  which  he  fulfils ;  an 
authority  under  which  the  Christian  evangelist  goes 
forth  to  execute  a  commission  extending  to  all  nations, 
and  to  every  individual  of  every  nation  under  heaven ; 
a  moral  or  rather  spiritual  authority,  distinct  from  the 
pastoral  jurisdiction,  which  rests  upon  particular  rela- 
tions originating  in  appointment  and  choice ;  distinct 
from  whatsoever  has  its  source  in  the  will  of  man  ;  and 
attaching  to  whomsoever,  as  the  bearer  of  the  evangeli- 
cal message,  we  may  regard  as  the  organ  of  Christ.  The 
ministry  is  of  necessity  one  in  kind  :  it  must,  therefore, 
as  regards  the  discharge  of  it  by  any  individual,  be 
either  that  of  '  the  Spirit  of  truth,'  or  of  '  the  Spirit  of 
error ;'  it  is  either  efiicient,  as  the  preaching  of  Christ,  or 
it  is  wholly  inefficient  and  unauthorized.  Official  desig- 
nation, ecclesiastical  dignity,  can  make  no  difterence  in 
the  character  of  the  ministry  exercised  by  any  man  in 
the  Church  of  Christ.  The  humblest  self-constituted 
teacher,  who  is  possessed  of  the  appropriate  credentials 
of  the  ministerial  character,  in  the  purity  of  his  doc- 
trines, the  success  of  his  labors,  and  the  unblemished 
tenor  of  his  life,  is  invested  with  an  authority  to  which 
no  circumstantial  additaments  of  human  appointment 
are  requisite  to  impart  validity ;  it  requires  no  sanction 
from  man,  for  with  njan  it  does  not  originate.  A  preacher 
may  be  undeniably  deficient  in  some  of  those  subsidiary 
qualifications  which  constitute  a  natural  fitness  for  the 
office  of  teacher  ;  but  the  capacity  for  preaching  the  truth 
of  Christ,  so  as  to  fulfil  the  purposes  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  is,  let  it  never  be  forgotten,  a  spiritual  capacity; 
and  where  this  is  possessed,  it  is  in  vain,  and  worse  than 
in  vain,  for  us  to  withhold  our  recognition  of  the  essential 
character  and  authority  of  the  Christian  minister  as  ex- 
isting in  that  individual,  how  humble  soever  his  station 


rREACHING. 


81 


or  his  acquirements.  With  the  iitinost  propriety  such  <a 
man  may  appeal  to  those  to  whose  consciences  he  has 
been  commended  by  the  efficacy  of  his  pious  labors  : 
'  If  I  be  not '  a  minister  '  unto  others,  yet  doubtless  I  am 
to  you ;  for  the  seal  of  my'  ministry  '  are  ye  in  the 
Lord.'  ''—Prot.  Non-Corn.  vol.  i.  p.  166-174. 


8* 


THE  MINISTRY. 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  T.  O.  PRESCOTT. 
[X.  C.  Ropos.,  May,  1S50.] 

Mr.  Editor, 

My  attention  has  been  attracted  by  reports  in  your  Magazine,  and 
also  by  the  article  in  the  last  No.  of  the  New  Church  Quarterly  on 
the  subject  of  the  Ministry,  lay-preaching,  ordination,  &c.  I  was  also 
reading,  a  day  or  two  since,  your  remarks  on  the  subject  of  your  own 
ordination,  in  the  July  No.  of  the  Kepository.  These  things,  my  dear 
sir,  have  brought  ray  ideas  in  some  degree  to  a  focus  on  the  subject  of 
the  ministry,  and  I  should  like  to  have  a  little  conversation  with  you 
on  this  important  topic.  I  am  a  lover  of  freedom,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  lover  of  order.  I  am  desirous  to  sec  maintained  the  greatest 
degree  of  freedom  consistent  with  Divine  and  Heavenly  order,  and  the 
real  good  of  the  church  and  of  individuals,  and  1  feel  anxious  to  dis- 
cover what  is  the  true  medium.  I  believe  your  own  mind  to  be  in 
a  similar  state  in  this  respect.  Perhaps,  then,  a  little  comparison  of 
views  on  this  subject  would  aid  both  of  us. 

The  way  I  look  at  the  institution  of  the  ministry,  is  somewhat  as 
follows  :  First,  I  believe  the  ministry  to  be,  both  from  the  teachings 
of  the  Word,  and  the  wri1ill,•^  nF  tlic  Church,  as  also  from  all  histori- 
cal evidence,  from  the  (■(nu  li:  i  <ii  reflection  and  common  sense,  and 
from  a  consideration  of  the  wi  .ii-;  i4'  mankind,  a  distinct  office  atul  me. 
Setting  aside  other  grounds  ft.r  «uch  a  belief,  I  think  the  teachings  of 
the  Church  entirely  explicit  t'li  this  ])oint  Priests  and  the  priesthood 
and  the  clergy  are  spoken  of  everywhere  in  the  writings,  as  a  distinct 
office,  filled  by  a  distinct  class  of  individuals.  This  is  so  manifest 
that,  as  it  seems  to  me,  no  cue  can  have  a  doubt  of  it,  but  one  who 
has  made  up  his  mind,  and  persists  in  holding  another  view.  Num- 
berless quotations  might  be;  made  from  the  writings  upon  this 
point,  but  it  is  needless,  for  it  pervades  their  whole  tenor.  The 
view,  therefore,  contained  in  one  of  the  reports  before  referred  to, 
that  all  internal  men  who  have  learned  interior  doctrine  and  con- 
firmed it  by  the  Word,  are  meant  by  the  clergy,  and  that  all  who 
from  love  to  the  Lord  and  charity  to  the  neighbor  are  in  truth,  &c., 
are  meant  by  "  teaching  ministers" — surprised  me  exceedingly  ;  the 
serious  holding  up  of  such  a  view  seemed  to  me  to  argue  rather  a  spirit 
of  ingenuity,  and  desire  to  support  a  preconceived  opinion,  than  wis- 
dom or  truth.  1  hat  it  is  quite  unsound  may  be  seen  by  a  single  quo- 
tation from  the  writings.  In  heaven  all  certainly  are  internal  men  (at 
least  in  the  higher  heavens) ,  and  all  there  are  in  truths  from  love  and 
charity  ;  yet  even  there  we  are  taught  that  preachers  are  a  distinct 


THE  MINISTRY. 


83 


class,  and  that "  it  is  not  allowed  any  except  them  to  teach  in  the 
temples,"  H.  ^  H.  226  ;  and  in  T.  C.  R.  661,  one  of  these,  named  as 
the  "  high  priest,"  and  calling  himself  "  minister  of  the  church"  in 
heaven,  is  described  and  presented  to  view. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  if  ministers  or  the  clergy  be  a  distinct 
body  of  individuals,  by  whom  should  they  be  appointed  to  their  office  ? 
In  heaven,  as  we  learn,  they  are  appointed,  as  all  officers  are,  directly 
by  the  Lord  :  but  in  this  lower  world,  this  duty,  like  every  other,  is 
left  to  man  to  perform,  "  acting  in  freedom  according  to  reason."  How 
then  should  they  be  appointed  ?  Should  it  be  by  other  ministers  ?  I 
cannot  see  any  principle  on  which  they  should.  As  to  the  figment  of 
Apostolic  succession,"  we  know  from  our  author,  A.  R.  802,  as  pro- 
perly quoted  in  the  report  above  mentioned,  that  the  notion  of  trans- 
ferring the  Holy  Spirit  from  one  man  to  another,  was  a  mere  invention 
from  the  Babylonish  love  of  dominion.  But  shall  a  man  appoint  him- 
self ?  In  other  words,  is  it  proper  or  e.xpedient  that  every  one  who 
chooses  should  declare  himself  a  minister  of  the  church,  and  proceed 
to  exercise  the  functions  of  the  office  ?  I  answer.  No  .'  for  two  or  three 
reasons.  One  is,  that  it  is  well  known,  and  any  one  of  observation 
must  have  been  struck  with  the  fact,  that  it  is  not  always  those  who 
think  themselves  qualified,  and  who  have  a  desire  to  preach,  who  arc 
qualified  for  the  work.  I  have  been  struck  witli  this  myself,  in 
several  instances.    It  is  often  not  a  spiritual  love  of  use,  evidently, 


spirit  of  the  Lord  at  all,  but  sometimes  a  mere  love  of  display,  or  a 
high  opinion  of  one's  own  intelligence,  or  the  desire  of  distinction, 
which  is  at  the  bottom.  The  true  preachers,  as  biography  shows,  are 
those  men  who  have  been  reluctant  to  come  forward,  who  had  to  be 
forced  almost  into  the  office,  by  their  friends,  who  knew  their  fitness 
(in  the  biographies  of  Massillon,  Fenelon,  Augustine,  Chrysostem,  and 
many  others).  And  this  backwardness,  I  can  easily  understand,  is  the 
effect  of  the  very  power  and  spirit  moving  in  the  centre  of  their  souls, 
and  giving  light  to  their  minds,  which  by  its  very  brilliancy  at  once 
interiorly  urges  them  on,  and  yet  makes  them  shrink  from  the  great 
and  high  duty,  which  the  Spirit  presents  to  them  to  be  done.  Just 
as  the  common  mind  thinks  it  can  do  anything  while  the  man  of  genius 
is  cautious  and  timid,  and  fearful  he  cannot  bring  into  act  the  grand 
conceptions  that  burn  within  him. 

Thus,  then,  it  is  no  criterion  of  a  man's  fitness  to  preach,  that  he 
has  a  desire  to  preach.  But  another  and  an  unanswerable  reason 
why  a  man  should  not  appoint  himself  is,  that  it  is  not  a  private  office 
but  a  public  one.  The  whole  church  has  an  interest  at  stake  in  its 
preachers.  They  stand  in  a  manner  as  its  representatives  before  the 
world  ;  and  their  character,  botli  intellectual  and  moral,  will  affect 
greatly  the  estimation  in  which  will  be  held  both  the  opinions  which 
they  utter,  and  also  the  members  who  entertain  those  opinions.  This 
being  the  case,  the  whole  church  has  a  right  to  have  a  voice  in  the 


that  prompts  such  desire,  or  even 


84 


THE  MINISTRY, 


appointment  of  the  ministers  of  the  church.  Nay,  there  is  no  way  in 
which  that  general  voice  can  express  itself  so  justly  or  truly,  nor  in- 
deed do  I  perceive  any  other  practicable  way,  than  through  the 
Annual  Conference  or  Convention,  which  is  the  nearest  approximation 
to  a  representation  of  the  church  at  large  (or  in  a  country  as  extensive 
as  the  United  States,  perhaps  a  State  Association  would  be  a  body 
sufficiently  general).  This,  then,  my  dear  sir,  is  the  simple  and  obvious 
reason,  in  my  opinion,  why  the  Convention  should  appoint  the  minis- 
ters of  the  church  ;  and  why  it  is  not  right  for  an  individual  or  for  any 
single  society  or  small  body  to  appoint  a  minister ;  because,  a  minister, 
once  appointed,  does  become,  by  custom  and  courtesy,  if  by  no  other 
rule,  the  representative,  and  is  received  as  the  minister  of  the  church 
at  largo.  Therefore  the  church  at  large  has  an  interest  in,  and  should 
have  a  voice  in,  the  appointment. 

But  in  the  next  place,  the  person  thus  appointed,  chosen,  or  ap- 
proved of  (or  recognized,  as  you  express  it)  by  the  church  in  general, 
is  then,  by  the  laws  of  Divine  order,  as  we  are  expressly  taught,  to  be 
introduced  into  the  office  by  an  orderly  form  of  inauguration  ;  and  we 
are  taught  distinctly  also  what  that  form  is,  viz.,  "  imposition  of 
hands,"  which  represents  or  corresponds  to  covmnmicutimi  (Sec  Divine 
Love  and  Wisdom,  220  ;  A.  C.  6292).  We  are  also  expressly  taught, 
T.  C.  R.  146,  that  certain  gifts  and  aids  attend  that  inauguration  and 
are  imparted  with  it  from  the  Lord,  as  illustration,  &c.  Now,  the 
way  I  understand  this  somewhat  difficult  point,  is  thus  :  not  that  a  man 
can  be  made  a  minister,  or  become  fitted  for  the  office,  solely  by  this 
inauguration — by  no  means  ;  but  simply  that  one  already  in  general 
fitted  by  the  pi'oper  talents  from  the  Lord,  education,  &c.,  has  his  fit- 
ness completed  or  perfected  by  the  influx  that  attends  orderly  intro- 
duction into  the  office.  Just  as  baptism  or  the  Holy  Supper  alone 
will  save  no  one,  but  yet  will  be  a  Iielp,  and  will  bring  increased  spiritual 
influences  to  him  who  does  the  work  of  regeneration  otherwise — who 
believes  in  the  Lord  and  keeps  his  commandments. 

The  question  has  been  sometimes  raised,  Who  in  such  cases  may 
perform  the  right  of  imposition  of  hands.  May  any  one,  or  may  only 
a  minis'ter  ?  I  would  reply  that  to  my  mind  it  is  certainly  a  function 
that  belongs  to  the  ministerial  office  ;  for  we  are  taught  in  A.  C. 
10,799,  that  priests  are  appointed  for  the  administration  of  those 
things  that  relate  to  the  divine  law  and  worship.  It  belongs  to  that 
office  just  as  the  administration  of  Baptism  and  the  Holy  Supper 
belongs  to  it.  Not  that  the  Holy  Spirit  or  any  power  whatever 
passes  from  the  minister  himself  to  the  person  ordained  (as  is  the  idea 
of  the  "  Apostolic  succession"  principle),  for  all  the  gifts  that  attend 
inauguration  into  the  ministry  are  communicated  doubtless  from  the 
Lord  alone  ;  but  simply,  because,  according  to  the  quotation  just  made, 
all  functions  and  ceremonies  relating  to  the  divine  law  and  worship, 
belong  to  the  ministerial  office,  just  as  civil  duties  belong  to  a  civil 
office,  &c. ;  and  order  requires  that  these  distinctions  should  be  ob- 
served. 


THE  MINISTRY. 


85 


But  here  it  is  to  be  noticed,  that  the  mere  performing  of  the  cere- 
mony of  ordination  by  a  minister,  and  his  appointing  another  to  the 
office  of  the  ministry  (which  are  sometimes  confounded),  are  two  per- 
fectly distinct  things,  and  have  no  connection  with  each  other  what- 
ever. It  has  already  been  shown,  that  ministers  should  be  appointed, 
that  is,  chosen  or  approved  of,  by  the  church  at  large  :  the  minister 
simply  performs  the  ceremony  upon  those  thus  appointed  : — ^just  as  it 
is  not  for  a  minister  to  say  who  shall  be  baptized  or  who  shall  partake 
of  the  Holy  Supper  ;  he  simply  administers  the  ordinance  to  those  who 
present  themseh  cs  or  are  presented.  A  minister,  indeed,  should  have 
his  voice  or  his  vote  in  the  appointment,  like  every  other  member  of 
the  Convention.  The  judgment  of  the  ministers  present  at  the  Con- 
vention will,  indeed,  naturally  be  consulted  on  an  occasion  of  this 
kind.  Since  they  have  in  some  respects  a  peculiar  litness  for  judging 
of  the  candidate's  intellectual  and  educational  qualifications,  and  there- 
fore sach  applications  might  with  propriety  be  referred  to  them  for 
their  farther  opinion  ;  still,  however,  the  decision  will  be  with  the 
whole  body  of  members. 

You  will  observe  that  my  remarks,  thus  fai',  have  been  directed  to 
this  point,  or  these  points,  viz. :  that  there  is  in  the  church  a  distinct 
office  of  the  ministry  ;  that  there  is  and  should  be  a  distinct  body  of 
individuals  who  fill  that  office  :  that  these  should  bo  appointed,  ap- 
proved of,  or  recognized  by  the  Church  at  large,  or  a  body  that  repre- 
sents it ;  that  when  so  appointed,  they  should  be  inaugurated  into  the 
office  by  an  orderly  form,  which  should  be  performed  l>y  the  hands  of 
a  minister,  the  effect  of  which  inauguration  has  also  been  touched 
upon.  Thus  my  object  has  been  to  show  that,  as  the  wTiting-s  teach , 
there  is  and  should  be  a  regular  ministry  in  and  for  the  New  Church. 
And  I  have  dwelt  upon  this,  because  there  seem  to  be  floating  doubts 
in  some  minds  in  regard  to  it,  or  at  least  loose  ideas  concerning  it. 

Now,  there  is  another  topic  of  interest,  which  is  quite  distinct  from 
this,  and  should  not  be  confounded  with  it,  viz. :  the  question  of  lay 
preaching  ;  that  is,  whether  (admitting  that  there  is  a  regular  ministry, 
&c.)  it  is  still  allowable  for  laymen,  or  persons  not  ministers,  to  teach 
and  preach  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  when  they  seem  to  have  the 
ability  and  inclination  to  do  so.  This,  as  before  said,  is  a  distinct 
question.  And  it  is  one,  I  confess,  of  difficulty.  It  is  certain  that 
the  writings  teach  (in  A.  C.  6822)  that  preaching,  or  the  public  teach- 
ing of  truth,  belongs  to  the  ministerial  office,  and  that  there  is  danger 
arising  from  an  indiscriminate  exercise  of  this  function.  And,  proba- 
bly, w^hen  the  church  becomes  fully  and  wisely  established,  this  order 
of  things  can  and  will  be  strictly  observed.  But  in  the  present 
incipient  state  of  the  Church,  where  there  are  few  regular  ministers, 
where  there  is  much  1o  be  done,  and  so  few  to  do  it ;  when  it  is  diffi- 
cult in  many  places  to  support  a  minister  in  the  sole  uses  of  his  office  ; 
and  wheu  the  reception  of  the  new  truth  kindles  a  desire  to  make  it 
known  to  others.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  be  wise  or  neces- 
sary to  put  too  close  a  restriction  on  the  elforts  of  individual  members 


86 


THE  MINIS  IKY. 


in  this  respect.  I  do  not  perceive  that  any  serious  harm  could  arise 
(and  perhaps  some  good  might)  from  an  individual,  not  a  minister, 
giving  an  occasional  lecture,  or  course  of  lectures,  on  the  doctrines, 
when  so  disposed  and  when  desired  by  those  who  may  wish  to  be  in- 
structed. At  the  same  time  I  think  that  it  would  be  the  more  orderly 
course — when  a  layman  finds  himself  led  on,  from  giving  an  occasional 
lecture,  to  the  regular  delivery  of  discourses— to  obtain  the  recognition 
and  approbation  of  his  brethren  of  the  church  at  large,  as  expressed 
through  their  proper  organ,  the  t'l  invention,  or  any  of  the  State  Associa- 
tions. This  might  l^e  expressed  in  the  form  of  a  license,  as  hitherto 
common  in  tlie  church  in  the  United  States,  which  license  I  regard  as 
simply  meaning  an  expression  of  opinion  on  the  part  of  the  church  in 
general,  that  the  person  so  licensed  is  properly  fitted  for  the  duty  or 
use  of  preaching  tlae  doctrines  ;  not  that  such  a  license  is  supposed  to 
have  in  it  any  power  of  conferring  fitness,  nor  that  it  means  to  imply 
any  authoritative  forbidding  of  any  one  else  to  open  his  lips  (as  some 
seem  to  have  conceived),  but  that  it  is  simply  a  recognition  of  fitness 
in  the  person  so  licensed.  And  the  asking  of  such"  a  recognition  is 
orderly  and  proper,  because,  as  before  shown,  a  public  teacher  of  the 
doctrines  becomes  in  some  degree  a  representative  of  the  whole  Chui'ch, 
and  its  character  ;  and  the  whole  church,  therefore,  has  a  direct  interest 
in  seeing  that  such  teachers  are  worthy  and  properly  qualified.  I 
think  that  no  one,  with  such  a  spirit  of  humility  and  self-distrust,  as  is 
becoming  a  teacher  of  spiritual  truth,  could  object  to  such  a  course  ; 
and  he  would  find  his  hands  strengthened  by  pursuing  it — by  feeling 
that  he  has  the  publicly  expressed  approbation  of  his  brethren.  Such 
licentiate  might  then  be  regarded  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  and 
as  preparing  himself  to  be  admitted  into  it  in  an  orderly  manner,  when 
circumstances  permitted,  and  a  proper  opportunity  ofFcred. 

This  is  the  way,  my  dear  sir,  in  which  the  subject  of  lay  preachivg 
presents  itself,  after  much  reflection  to  my  mind.  And  it  seems  to  me 
a  course  which  would  put  no  unnecessary  restriction  on  individual 
freedom,  and  yet  would  tend  to  preserve  due  order.  You  observe  the 
points-  are  two  :  first,  there  is  no  objection  to  any  receiver  of  the  doc- 
trines, who  feels  so  disposed,  giving  an  occasional  lecture,  or  course  of 
lectures  ;  but,  secondly,  that  if  he  finds  himself  led  into  a  regular  and 
halutual  course  of  public  teaching,  or  preaching,  that  then  it  would  be 
orderly  that  he,  or  his  friends  for  hini.  should  make  application  to  the 
Convention  or  State  Association,  for  their  approbation  expressed  in 
the  form  of  a  license,  which  there  is  no  fear  would  be  refused  to  any 
one  truly  worthy,  both  as  to  ability  and  moral  character. 

In  regard,  however,  to  the  administration  of  the  ordinances  of  Bap- 
tism and  the  Holy  Supper  by  laymen,  or  those  not  in  the  office  of  the 
ministry  (a  question  which  has  also  been  occasionally  agitated),  I 
must  express  the  opinion  that  it  seems  to  me  quite  contrary  to  due 
order  and  unwarrantable.  These  arc  duties  properly  and  strictly  be- 
longing to  the  office  of  the  ministry  or  priesthood,  as  may  be  seen  from 
a  reference  to  A.  C.  10,799,  where  it  is  declared  that  "  priests  are  ap- 


THE  MINISTRY. 


87 


pointed  for  tlie  administration  of  those  things  that  relate  to  the  Divine 
law  and  worship."  It  is  a  case  quite  different  from  that  of  publicly 
teaching-  or  preaching  the  doctrines.  Evei-y  man  who  has  tlie  know- 
ledge of  truth  will  naturally  have  a  wish  to  express  his  thoughts  in 
regard  to  it,  either  privately  to  one  or  a  few,  or  publicly  to  many  ;  so 
that  every  receiver  of  truth  is  naturally,  in  some  degree,  a  teacher  or 
communicator  of  it  to  others.  But  to  perform  a  religious  ceremony, 
to  administer  a  sacred  and  solenm  ordinance  of  the  church,  is  altoge- 
ther another  thing.  No  one  does  this  by  nature  ;  he  must  go  out  of 
his  way  to  do  it ;  it  is  an  extraordinary  not  an  ordinary  thing.  And 
in  doing  it,  he  is  entering  upon  functions  that  belong  to  a  distinct 
office,  established  in  the  church  both  on  earth  and  in  heaven,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  performing  such  holy  administrations.  Neither  is 
there  the  necessity  for  it  that  there  may  be  for  the  other.  The  teach- 
ing of  truth  is  a  work  whicli  has  to  be  widely  carried  on,  and  conti- 
nually kept  up,  for  the  enlightenment  and  salvatimi  of  mankind  ;  many 
hands  must  be  incessantly  engaged  in  it.  But  the  administration  of 
the  ordinances  of  Baptism  and  the  Holy  Sup])cr,  is  only  an  occasional 
thing,  that  may  without  much  inconvenience  or  injury  be  deferred  till 
such  time  as  the  services  of  an  authorized  minister  of  the  church  can 
be  obtained. 

These,  my  dear  sir,  arc  some  of  the  thoughts  which  have  presented 
themselves  to  my  mind  on  the  subject  of  the  ministry  in  the  New 
Church.  Jf  you  tliink  the  publication  of  them  will  be  of  any  service 
I  have  no  objection  to  it. 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  truly, 

Your  brother  in  the  Lord, 

T.  0.  Prescott. 

Glasgow,  March,  18.50. 

As  the  above  article  or  argument  by  our  transatlantic 
brother  presents  what  may  prababl_y  with  justice  be  re- 
garded as  the  prevalent  view  of  the  Ministry  obtaining  in 
the  New  Church,  and  as  it  dilfers  very  materially  from  our 
own,  we  shall  embrace  the  opportunity  to  enlarge  a  little 
upon  the  general  subject.  The  particular  replies,  which, 
under  other  circumstances,  we  should  perhaps  offer  to  the 
several  points  made  in  Mr.  Prescott's  communication,  we 
shall  leave  our  readers  to  educe  for  themselves  from  the 
scope  of  our  remarks.  As  a  whole,  the  theme  is  one  of 
vast  extent  and  complex  relations,  and  it  will  be  almost 
inevitable  that  we  fail,  in  some  point  or  other,  to  do  full 
justice  to  the  argument.  We  may  leave  our  positions 
open  to  an  interrogation  wliich,  because  unanswered, 


88 


THE  MINISTRY. 


may  appear  on  a  cursory  glance  unanswerable.  But 
our  fundamental  grounds  will  claim  the  chief  attention  ; 
and  if  these  are  sound,  the  minor  matters  of  detail  will 
readily  right  themselves  in  the  reader's  mind. 

A  correct  idea  of  the  Ministry  in  the  Lord's  'New 
Church  cannot  be  formed  apart  from  a  perception  of 
the  true  genius  and  ends  of  that  Church  in  contradistinc- 
tion from  those  of  the  Old  Church,  as  practically  con- 
ceived and  acted  on,  against  which  it  virtually  arrays 
itself  in  nearly  every  particular.  The  individual  man  in 
the  Old  Church  is  held  in  abeyance ;  in  the  New  he  is 
brought  forward  and  elevated.  Every  man  of  the 
Church  is  a  church  itself  in  the  least  form.  Freedom 
and  rationality  are  his  grand  chai-acteristics,  and  for  any 
man  to  wave  the  exercise  of  tliese  is  to  surrender  his 
most  distinctive  prerogatives.  Each  individual  must  see 
truth  for  himself,  and  order  his  life  according  to  it,  or  he 
can  have  no  claim  to  discipleship  in  the  New  Jerusalem. 
Still,  as  there  are  states  of  instruction  in  the  progress  of 
regeneration,  so  there  is  a  corresponding  office  of  teach- 
ing, and  one  which  grows  in  an  orderly  way  out  of  the 
nature  of  the  case.  It  is  the  normal  product  of  the  ex- 
igencies of  men's  states,  and  is  primarily  referable  to 
the  law  of  charity,  which  dictates  that  one  who  has  more 
of  good  and  truth  should  impart  of  his  abundance  to 
him  that  has  less  ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  cpiestioned  that 
Swedenborg,  for  the  most  part,  treats  the  subject  of  min- 
istry under  the  head  of  charihj^  of  which  it  is  one  pro- 
minent department.  Exciting  good  and  imparting  truth 
is  spiritually  feeding  the  hungry  and  clothing  the  naked, 
as  every  one  knows  who  has  himself  received  any 
adequate  measure  of  this  species  of  benef;iction.  Action 
of  this  nature  towards  its  appropriate  objects  is  the  very 
law  of  the  regenerate  life.  It  requires  not  that  a  man 
should  be  called  by  official  designation  to  exercise  the 
functions  of  neighborly  love.  Such  an  universal  duty 
cannot  be  exclusively  confined  to  any  distinct  class  or 
caste. 

This  will  be  more  evident  if  we  look  at  the  primitive 


THE  MINISTRY. 


89 


formation  of  a  society  of  the  New  Churcb,  or  of  any 
Church .  A  community  of  this  kind  is  one  of  an  entirely 
vohintary  character,  composed  of  individuals  drawn 
together  from  interior  affinities  and  for  a  common  end. 
They  propose  to  themselves  the  instituting  of  divine 
worship,  and  the  mutual  edification  of  each  other.  They 
agree  to  walk  together  in  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's 
house,  and  somewhat  of  a  mutual  covenant  is  implied  in 
the  union.  Their  relation  to  each  other  is  more  than 
that  of  mere  aggregation.  It  involves  the  idea  of 
organization.  There  is,  in  the  first  place,  a  community 
of  spirit,  of  interest,  of  aims,  operating  as  an  attractive 
force  to  draw  them  together,  and  then  there  is  a  kind  of 
spiritual  crystallization,  which  brings  them  into  an  or- 
ganized form.  It  is  wholly  immaterial  in  what  manner 
the  associative  influence  first  begins  to  operate.  It  may 
be  from  preaching,  or  it  may  be  from  reading.  But  the 
right  of  Christian  believers  thus  to  come  together,  and 
to  organize  themselves  into  a  society,  is  a  primary  and 
indefeasible  right,  derived  from  the  Lord  himself,  and 
ratified  in  the  explicit  declaration,  "  Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them."  This  is  the  charter  of  heaven  under 
which  any  number  of  Christians  is  as  fully  authorized  to 
form  themselves  as  a  banking  company  among  men  in 
the  business  world  is  at  liberty  to  avail  itself  of  the 

fsneral  law  to  that  effect.  For  the  exercise  of  this  right 
ey  are  not  dependent  upon  any  other  society,  or  upon 
any  clergyman.  They  are  at  full  liberty  to  form  them- 
selves into  swell  a  fraternity  in  obedience  to  the  Lord's 
will,  and  with  a  view  to  secure  its  appropriate  ends.  At 
the  same  time  we  admit  that  if  they  can  conveniently 
enjoy  the  presence  and  concurrence  of  their  brethren  in 
the  faith,  or  that  of  an  acknowledged  clergyman  on  such 
an  occasion,  it  is  well ;  only  let  it  be  understood  that  all 
such  persons  are  present  as  helpers  and  not  as  authorizers 
of  their  proceedings.  To  these  they  are  amply  compe- 
tent in  themselves,  being  authorized  from  the  highest 
possible  source  ;  and  it  may  sometimes  be  important,  for 
9 


90 


THE  MINISTRY. 


the  sake  of  a  more  emphatic  assertion  of  Christian  liberty, 
to  decline  any  other  co-operation  on  the  part  of  laity  or 
clergy  from  abroad,  than  that  of  their  brotherly  sympa- 
thies and  good  wishes. 

Supposing,  then,  such  a  society  of  the  New  Church  to 
be  duly  formed,  it  is  obvious  that  the  performance  of 
use,  bearing  upon  the  general  interests  of  the  Lord's 
kingdom,  is  the  great  end  which  they  are  ever  to  have 
in  view.  But  as  use  is  governed  by  quality,  their  first 
and  paramount  aim  is  to  be,  to  render  themselves,  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  divine  order,  of  such  a  quality  as 
shall  enable  them  to  achieve  the  largest  amount  of  good, 
each  to  the  other,  and  all  to  each  ;  beside  what  they  are 
enabled  to  render  to  the  world  at  large.  The  action  of 
such  a  society  is  a  kind  of  secretion  of  spiritual  use,  just 
as  the  secretion  of  an  organ  in  the  human  body  tends  to 
the  conservation  and  well  being  of  the  whole.  And  as 
every  particle  of  every  organ  contributes  its  share  in  the 
elaborating  ])rocess,  so  is  each  individual  in  such  a 
society  to  furnish  his  respective  quota  of  influence  to  the 
perfection  of  the  whole.  In  this  respect  they  all  stand 
upon  an  equal  footing.  In  the  common  aim  of  the  whole 
every  member  has  an  equal  interest.  The  humblest  dis- 
ciple has  as  much  at  stake  as  the  highest  and  most  dis- 
tinguished. His  soul  is  of  as  much  importance,  his 
comfort  and  prosperity  in  spiritual  things  as  much  an 
object  of  Divine  and  angelic  care,  as  that  of  his  other- 
wise more  favored  brother,  and.  he  in  like  manner  is 
under  equal  obligation  to  study  in  his  place  and  relations 
the  best  good  of  the  entire  body.  All  this,  be  it  observed, 
lies  upon  the  society  from  its  very  inception,  and  prior 
to  the  appointment  of  any  one  or  more  individuals  to 
what  is  termed  the  clerical  or  ministerial  office  ;  for  in 
the  nature  of  the  case,  the  particular  church  or  society 
must  be  prior  to  its  ministers,  just  as  any  civil  society  or 
government  is  prior  to  its  officers.  In  this  primitive 
state  of  things  every  one  is  virtually  and  potentially  a 
minister,  preacher,  or  priest,  because  every  one  is  a 
church  in  the  least  form.    ISTor  do  we  see  any  adequate 


THK  MINISTRY. 


91 


reason  why  this  prerogative  should  be  considered  as  ever 
alienable  from  its  rightful  subjects.  The  exercise  of  it 
may  be  waved  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  under  peculiar 
circumstances,  as  when  the  superior  gifts  of  one,  in  any 
particular  department,  may  supersede  for  a  time  those 
of  another;  but  so  far  as  the  principle  is  concerned,  we 
hold  it  undeniable  that  every  man  of  the  church,  from 
the  necessity  of  things,  is  potentiall}'  a  minister.  And 
in  this  matter  it  is  important  to  hold  fast  to  first  principles, 
for  it  is  here  that  usurpation  generally  makes  its  entrance, 
by  falsifying  or  sophisticating  some  fundamental  truth, 
and  making  it,  thus  transformed,  the  basis  of  a  system 
of  tyrannous  domination  and  oppression. 

But  it  will  be  asked,  Is  there  no  such  thing  as  a  dis- 
tinct function  of  teaching  or  preaching  in  the  New 
Church  i  Can  anything  be  more  obvious  than  the  recog- 
nition of  such  a  function,  both  in  the  Word  and  in  the 
writings  of  the  Church  ?  And  if  there  is  to  be  teaching, 
must  there  not  be  teachers  ?  Does  not  a  function  imply 
functionaries,  or  men  discharging  what  Mr.  Prescott 
terms  "  a  distinct  office  and  use  ?"  If  all  are  teachers, 
where  are  the  taught  I  If  all  are  leaders,  where  are  the 
led  ?  To  this  we  reply,  that  diversity  of  uses  in  the 
Lord's  spiritual  body  does  not  necessarily  create  diversity 
of  grades  in  those  who  perform  such  uses.  We  acknow- 
ledge at  once  the  necessity  of  teaching  and  of  teachers 
in  the  Church ;  but  we  deny  that  this  fact  lays  a  founda- 
tion for  that  radical  distinction  of  dergy  and  laity  which 
has  obtained  currency  throughout  Christendom,  and 
which  has  opened  a  Pandora's  Iwx  of  evils  and  mischiefs 
to  the  church  of  the  past.  The  I^ew  Church  of  the 
present  and  the  future  is  not  a  church  in  representatives, 
but  in  realities.  The  substantial  things  which  the  priest- 
hood represented  are  now  enjoyed  by  the  general  body 
composing  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  being  diffused 
throughout  the  whole  of  that  body,  they  cannot  be  ap- 
propriated or  monopolized  by  any  one  class.  New 
Church  societies  on  earth  are  now  to  form  themselves 
more  and  more  on  the  model  of  the  societies  of  the  New 


92 


THE  MINISTRY, 


Church  in  the  heavens,  and  with  these  there  is  no  preach- 
ing priesthood.  There  is  indeed  a  priesthood,  but  it  is 
composed  of  the  whole  celestial  kingdom,  and  the  men 
of  that  kingdom  never  preach.  There  are  also  preach- 
ers in  the  heavens  ;  but  as  they  are  not  priests,  being  of 
the  spiritual  kingdom,  so  they  are  not  constituted  preach- 
ers by  a  self-perpetuating  order,  but  receive  their  ap- 
pointment directly  from  the  Lord,  and  that  too,  as  we 
may  reasonably  infer,  by  the  operation  and  influx  of  his 
Spirit  flowing  into  their  minds,  and  generating  both  the 
love  and  the  ability  for  the  use  which  they  are  thence 
called  to  perform.  Their  gifts  and  endowments  are  per- 
ceived by  the  society  to  be  adapted  to  their  exigencies, 
and  they  receive  and  acknowledge  them  in  this  relation. 
They  do  not  confer  any  power  upon  them  :  they  do  not, 
strictly  speaking,  appoint  them  ;  they  simj^ly  acknowl- 
edge them  as  qualified,  and  thereby  designated  by  the 
Lord  himself  to  ofliciate  in  this  capacity  in  the  perform- 
ance of  a  use  wliich  their  states  render  requisite.  Such 
individuals  fall  into  the  centre,  instead  of  the  circumfer- 
ence, as  a  matter  of  course,  and  in  an  orderly  state  of 
things  it  is  just  as  natural  that  their  peculiar  province 
should  be  recognized  and  acknowledged  as  that  the  cor- 
poreal system  at  large  should  acknowledge  the  all-per- 
vading and  sustaining  action  of  the  heart.  But  we  see 
nothing  in  all  this  that  necessarily  constitutes  them  a 
permanently  distinct  class,  invested  with  any  kind  of 
rule  or  authority  other  than  that  which  emanates  from 
the  truths  they  communicate.  They  are  to  the  whole 
society  what  a  particular  organ  is  to  the  whole  human 
body.  To  the  eye,  for  instance,  j^ertains  the  function  of 
seeing,  but  it  cannot  see  apart  from  the  body  to  which  it 
belongs.  So  with  the  ear,  the  nose,  the  tongue.  Tiiey 
all  have  their  several  uses  in  the  bodily  economy,  but 
they  are  not  on  this  account  in  any  manner  distinct  from 
the  body.  So  in  like  manner  the  use  or  function  of 
teaching  or  preaching  in  the  societies  of  the  New  Church 
does  not  constitute  a  distinct  grade  or  order  in  such 
societies,  discriminated  from  the  mass  as  the  clergy  are 


THE  MTNISTRT. 


93 


now  supposed  to  be  discriminated  from  the  laitt/ — a  dis- 
tinction equivalent  to  a  discrete  degree. 

"We  are  well  aware  bow  difficult  it  will  be  for  many  of 
our  readers  to  rest  in  our  conclusion,  that  there  may  bo 
a  distinction  in  use  which  does  not  amount  to  a  distinc- 
tion in  office,  or  rather  in  official  order  or  caste.  'Nor 
are  we  sure  that  we  can  make  our  idea  any  more  intel- 
ligible by  expansion  or  illustration.  If  it  does  not  strike 
the  mind  with  somewhat  of  an  intuitive  perception,  it 
will  not  probably  be  apprehended  after  pages  of  elaborate 
exposition.  We  would  say,  however,  that  by  the  distinct 
order  or  office  of  the  clergy  in  the  church,  we  mean  an 
order  which  pe7j>eti(ates  itself  by  some  special  form  of 
ordination  or  inauguration,  wherein  the  body  of  the 
church,  or  the  laitt/,  as  they  are  termed,  have  no  share. 
That  such  an  order  of  men,  whether  called  priests,  cler- 
gymen, or  ministers,  was  designed  to  exist  in  the  New 
Church  is  what  we  venture  to  deny  ;  while  at  the  same 
time  we  freely  admit  and  strenuously  maintain  that 
there  is  a  function  of  teaching  which  is  to  be  discharged 
by  those  who  have  the  requisite  qualifications  therefor. 
If  these  two  propositions  are  deemed  inconsistent  with 
and  destructive  of  each  other,  so  it  must  be.  In  our 
view  they  are  not. 

The  function  of  teaching  in  a  wider  sense,  or  of  preach- 
ing or  proclaiming  the  gospel  as  an  evangelist  or  mis- 
sionary to  the  world  at  large,  wo  would  place  on  the 
broad  ground  of  a  general  right  of  all  men  to  utter  and 
enforce  by  argument  such  seutimonts  as  they  may  enter- 
tain on  any  subject  whether  secular  or  sacred.  Especially, 
if  no  exceptions  are  taken  to  the  sentiments  themselves, 
there  can  be  do  just  exceptions  taken  to  the  most  free 
and  unreserved  expression  of  them  by  their  holders. 
This  open  and  free  declaration  of  opinion  is  the  more 
legitimate  import  of  the  word  preach,  which  is  derived 
from  a  root  expressive  of  the  office  of  a  public  crier,  a 
proclaimer,  or  herald  of  tidings  whether  good  or  bad. 
When  the  tidings  are  good  it  is  gospel,  another  name  for 
the  good  news,  j9ar  eminence,  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 


94: 


THE  MINISTRY. 


and  wc  would  ask  how  much  ecclesiastical  authority  one 
requires  to  empower  him  to  declare  the  glad  tidings  of 
the  Lord's  second  advent,  especially  when  we  learn  that 
every  one  to  whom  the  message  comes  is  to  be  an  echo 
to  its  gracious  burden  ;  "  And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride 
say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 
Is  not  this  a  sufficient  commission  ? 

The  origin,  then,  we  contend,  of  the  ministry  in  the 
New  Church  is  in  the  exigencies  of  the  society.  The 
office  is  necessarily  created  by  the  spiritual  demands  of 
the  members.  Certain  gifts  are  in  requisition,  and  the 
possession  of  the  gifts,  together  with  the  genuine  love  of 
the  use,  is  the  warrant  for  their  exercise.  The  divine 
influx  is  into  the  use,  and  the  thing  is  orderly  of  course. 
The  true  ministerial  function  is  therefore  intrinsically 
prior  to  all  ordination  administered  by  man,  for  we  are 
now  in  quest  of  the  manner  in  which  the  very  first  min- 
ister becomes  such.  We  are  endeavoring  to  re-mount  to 
the  primo-primitivc  source  of  a  New  Church  ministry. 
We  have  seen  that  it  is  merely  one  form  of  that  complex 
of  uses  which  pertains  to  a  society  of  New  Church 
Christians.  It  is  a  use  of  serving  rather  than  of  ruling. 
A  minister  is  a  servant,  and  not  a  lord  or  master  ;  this 
is  the  very  meaning  of  the  term.  But  the  service  of  the 
church  is  multiform,  and  so  is  the  ministry.  As  ever}- 
member  has  a  service  to  perform,  so  he  has  a  ministry 
to  discharge,  and  nothing  would  be  more  pernicious  than 
to  regard  the  employment  of  a  teaching  minister  as  car- 
rying with  it  a  supersedeas  to  all  other  forms  of  spiritual 
service. 

But  here  we  can  easily  foresee  that  the  claims  of  order 
will  be  urged.  Is  it  not  opening  the  door  to  confusion 
and  every  evil  work  to  concede  such  license  on  the  score 
of  preaching  or  teaching?  Will  it  not  be  a  grievous 
infraction  of  order  and  a  serious  periling  of  the  best 
interests  of  the  Church  if  the  seal  of  sanctity  be  taken 
off  from  the  clerical  office,  and  the  current  distinction 
between  clergy  and  laity  virtually  done  away  ?    As  the 


THE  MINISTRY. 


95 


office  is  a  public  office  and  the  good  name  and  well- 
being  of  the  church  is  at  stake,  should  there  not  be  an 
express  authority  conferred  before  any  one  assumes  to 
himself  the  responsibility  of  the  function  ?  Does  not 
the  church  need  protection  against  the  inroads  of  folse 
teachers  and  unworthy  representatives  ?  Our  answer  to 
this  will  suggest  itself  from  the  tenor  of  what  goes 
before.  The  question  fairly  arises,  if  our  premises  are 
sound,  where  the  authority  sought  resides.  As  the  office 
of  teaching  grows  directly  out  of  the  wants  of  a  society, 
and  its  authority  lies  in  its  use,  the  existence  of  a  min- 
istry cannot  depend  upon  an  antecedent  ordaining  clergy 
any  more  than  an  eftect  can  re-act  and  re-produce  its 
cause.  The  ministry  of  a  society  ante-dates  that  of  an 
order  of  clergy  pertaining  to  the  church  at  large,  grant- 
ing for  the  present  that  such  an  order  may  exist. 

If  the  view  now  presented  be  still  thought  to  be  preg- 
nant with  evil  results,  it  behoves  us  to  look  well  to  the 
remedies  proposed  and  see  whether  they  may  not,  in  the 
long  run,  involve  greater  evils  than  those  they  are  in- 
tended to  cure  or  prevent.  This  they  will  surely  do  if 
they  conflict  with  genuine  order  and  virtually  deny  first 
Ijrinciples  of  truth  or  freedom.  It  is  not  unusual  to  hear 
it  said  that  persons  not  duly  inducted  should  not  be 
allowed  to  officiate  in  the  ministry.  But  who  is  author- 
ized to  prevent  them,  and  whence  came  the  power? 
"What  are  the  credentials  shown  for  it  ?  Is  not  every 
man  at  liberty  to  utter  his  sentiments  on  any  subject 
that  he  deems  of  moment  to  his  fellow-men,  and  even  if 
those  sentiments  should  be  intrinsically  erroneous  or  mis- 
chievous, are  not  the  evils  incident  to  a  restraining  power 
greater  than  any  that  could  flow  from  the  most  unlimited 
freedom  of  speech  ?  So  we  sometimes  hear  men  talk 
about  certain  portions  of  the  human  race  not  being  fit 
for  civil  freedom.  But  whence  arose  the  right  of  one 
portion  of  mankind  to  judge  for  another  on  this  score  ? 
Does  not  God  create  all  men  free  ?  How  has  it  hap- 
pened that  one  class  of  men  deems  itself  entitled 
to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  capacity  of  another  to  enjoy 


96 


THR  MINISTRY. 


the  birthright  with  which  the  Creator  endowed  them  ? 
And  how  can  they  restrict  this  right  without  injustice 
and  oppression  ?  We  do  not  of  course  say  that  all  men 
are  equally  prepared  to  use  civil  freedom  without  abusing 
it,  but  we  do  say  that  this  fact  does  not  annul  the  original 
right,  and  that  the  evils  of  usurped  coercion  are  greater 
in  the  final  issue  than  those  of  self-asserted  liberty. 

So  in  the  matter  before  us.  We  know  of  no  authority, 
no  tribunal,  which  is  empowered  to  restrain  the  exercise 
of  any  man's  freedom  in  the  proclamation  of  what  he 
regards  as  truths  of  the  most  solemn  import.  If  such  a 
prompting  proceed  from  the  working  of  genuine  neigh- 
borly love  it  will  act  in  wisdom  and  will  be  acknow- 
ledged by  those  endowed  with  spiritual  perception,  for 
wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children.  If  the  voice  of  the 
shepherd  is  heard  in  such  a  man,  the  sheep  will  turn 
towards  him,  but  not  otherwise,  for  they  do  not  know 
the  voice  of  a  stranger.  But  men  are  as  free  in  the 
matter  of  hearing  as  of  speaking.  No  one  can  be  com- 
pelled to  hear  what  he  does  not  wish  to  hear,  or  what, 
upon  hearing  once,  he  does  not  wish  to  hear  again.  If 
an  individual  assuming  to  be  of  the  New  Church  faith 
preaches  a  doctrine  at  variance  with  her  truths,  there  is 
no  remedy  but  in  the  sounder  views  which  it  nuiy  en- 
counter in  the  minds  of  the  hearers,  and  in  the  rectifica- 
tions of  time  and  Providence.  In  the  end  truth  will 
eliminate  and  vindicate  itself  from  the  perversions  of 
error,  and  though  the  injury  done  in  the  mean  time  in 
the  name  of  the  New  Church  is  to  be  regretted,  yet  the 
violent  suppression  of  an  inborn  right  would  be  still 
more  to  be  deplored.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  evils 
resulting  by  possibility  from  this  source  do  not  strike  us 
as  being  so  formidable  as  might  appear  to  a  slight  reflec- 
tion. Human  prudence  is  prone  to  multiply  the  fancied 
safeguards  of  truth,  when  in  fact  it  is  most  effectually 
panoplied  by  its  own  inherent  might. 

The  foregoing  train  of  remark  does,  if  we  mistake  not, 
develope  somewhat  of  the  nature  and  design  of  the  New 
Church  ministry.    It  is  not  an  ofiice  of  ruling,  except  so 


THE  MINISTRY. 


9T 


far  as  truth  itself  is  of  a  ruling  nature  when  presented 
to  the  mind.  It  is  simply  one  form  of  the  multifarious 
uses  which  are  requisite  to  the  building  up  of  the  church 
in  the  goods  and  truths  of  the  Lord's  kingdom,  and  one 
too,  as  we  conceive,  which  was  never  intended  to  be 
made  so  completely  paramount  to  every  other  use  as  it 
has  come  to  be  in  the  Christian  world  at  large.  It  was 
never  designed  to  be  erected  into  an  institution  which 
should  stand  complete  by  itself  as  a  virtual  hierarchy. 
That  such  has  been  the  case  we  attribute  to  the  subtle 
working,  in  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness,  of  the 
love  of  dominion  which  has  never  found  a  more  congenial 
abode  than  in  the  bosom  of  the  clergy.  Tin's  spirit  will 
never  lack  logic  to  jnstify  its  usurpations,  and  its  proton 
2)seudos,  its  fundamental  falsity  will  ever  be  found  to  lie 
in  asserting  a  radical  distinction  between  the  clergy  and 
the  laity,  whereas  if  this  sophism  is  exposed  the  whole 
system  receives  a  death-blow  and  totters  1o  its  fall.  "We 
would  not  be  understood  by  this  as  involving  the  clergy 
of  the  present  day  in  the  odium  of  devising  and  con- 
sciously upholding  a  system  of  sacerdotal  dominion. 
Far  from  it.  We  believe  them  to  be  conscientious  and 
well-intentioned  men,  aiming  to  do  the  will  of  God  in 
sincerity,  and  we  impute  their  error  to  too  readily  taking 
for  granted  the  soundness  of  opinions  and  usages  which 
have  come  down  to  them  by  inheritance,  and  which, 
from  their  being  so  seldom  questioned,  they  have  had 
but  little  reason  to  doubt. 

We  cannot  for  ourselves  but  indulge  the  hope  that  the 
New  Church  will  eventually  develope  an  entirely  new 
order  of  things  in  this  respect,  and  that  while  everything 
essential  to  the  ministry  will  be  retained,  everything 
factitious  will  be  discarded.  How,  otherwise,  can  any 
sign  of  promise  be  read  in  the  Church's  future  ?  As  to 
an  adequate  supply  of  regularly  and  canonically  ordained 
ministers  for  the  various  societies  of  receivers  spread 
over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  who  shall  re- 
ceive their  support  from  such  societies,  it  surely  is  now 
and  must  be  for  a  long  time  to  come  wholly  out  of  the 


98 


THE  MINISTRY. 


question.  Indeed  tliis  is  a  fact  that  holds  good  not  of 
the  New  Church  only,  but  of  all  Churches.  There  'Js 
beginning  to  be  an  alarming  deficit  of  clergymen — 
alarming,  I  mean,  to  all  those  who  look  upon  the  clergy, 
as  we  do  not,  as  the  very  bone  and  bulwark  of  the 
church.  The  prevailing  spirit  of  wordliness,  or  the 
higher  prizes  of  other  walks  of  life,  is  continually  thin- 
ning the  ranks  of  the  candidates  for  the  ministry — 
which,  however,  had  probably  better  be  thin  if  such 
motives  can  make  them  so.  Now  for  ourselves  we  do 
not  regard  this  as  in  itself  a  circumstance  to  be  deeply 
dreaded  by  the  New  Church,  however  it  may  be  with 
others.  It  will  throw  her  upon  her  own  resources — upon 
her  lay  resources.  She  will  be  forced  to  wean  herself 
from  that  dependence  upon  the  ministry  which  has  been 
so  much  the  bane  of  Christendom,  and  which  is  not 
without  its  ill  effects  in  the  New  Dispensation.  Although 
it  is  unquestionable  that  the  man  of  the  New  Church  is 
to  be  built  up  more  by  reading  than  the  man  of  any 
other  church,  yet  the  inveterate  prepossessions  in  regard 
to  the  stated  ministry  are  continually  tending  to  relax 
and  paralyze  individual  action  and  to  beget  an  uncon- 
scious reliance  upon  a  substituted  agency  in  matters  of 
religion.  The  latent  impression  is  almost  inevitable, 
that  as  the  minister  or  pastor  is  paid  for  his  services,  the 
entire  conduct  of  the  religious  affairs  of  the  society  is  de- 
volved upon  him,  and  that  the  duties  of  the  rest  are  dis- 
charged by  contributing  their  due  proportion  to  his  sup- 
port, and  sitting  with  exemplary  regularity  under  his 
preaching  from  Sabbatb  to  Sabbath.  As  a  general  fact 
men  are  about  as  willing  to  ijay  to  be  excused,  as  they 
are  to  jyray  to  be  excused,  from  the  duties  which  make 
somewhat  of  a  stringent  demand  upon  the  inner  man. 

One  effect  of  this  state  of  things  in  the  New  Church 
is  very  disastrous.  Scattered  over  the  country  in  towns 
and  villages  are  little  bands  of  receivers  who  have 
become  such  by  reading.  And  as  they  are  too  weak  to 
support  a  pastor,  so  they  are  prone  to  regard  themselves 
as  too  weak  to  keep  up  worship  or  even  to  form  them- 


THE  MINISTRY. 


99 


selves  into  societies.  They  therefore  remain  in  an  isolated 
state,  making  little  or  no  nnited  effort  to  promote  their 
spiritual  weal,  but  waiting  for  the  Lord  to  increase  their 
numbers  and  with  their  numbers  their  means.  Conse- 
quently everything  for  tlie  present  languishes,  though 
they  may,  by  private  reading,  keep  up  a  faint  life  of 
goodness  and  truth  in  their  own  souls,  and  walk  unim- 
peachably  in  the  outer  man.  But  why  should  they  not 
meet  in  little  clubs  for  reading  and  conference,  and  thus 
form  the  germs  of  future  societies  ?  The  writings  of  the 
Church  are  a  never  failing  fund  of  edification,  and  there 
is  usually  some  one  or  more  individuals  in  these  circles, 
of  intelh'gence  and  ability,  and  well  qualified  to  take  the 
lead  and  to  communicate  instruction.  Why  do  not  such 
receivers  avail  themselves  of  their  inalienable  privilege  ? 
Why  do  they  not  at  least  combine  their  resources  and 
furnish  themselves  with  the  writings  of  the  'New  Church, 
and  with  an  abundance  of  collateral  works  for  general 
distribution  ?  Alas,  we  fear  that  the  grand  let  and 
hindrance  on  this  score  is  to  be  found  in  the  exorbitant 
views  entertained  of  the  ministry  as  a  kind  of  sine  qua 
non  as  much  to  the  being  as  the  well-being  of  the  Church. 
They  have,  from  traditional  teachings,  taken  up  the  idea 
that  a  settled  and  salaried  preacher  is  an  indispensable 
element  in  every  such  body,  and  that  there  can  be  no 
such  thing  as  a  lay  circumference  without  a  clerical 
centre.  Now  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  sooner 
this  idea  is  got  rid  of  the  better.  If  every  truly  good 
man  is  a  church  in  the  least  form,  any  number  of  re- 
ceivers associated  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Lord's 
kingdom  is  no  less  a  church  in  a  larger  form,  and  compe- 
tent to  the  performance  of  all  tlie  appropriate  uses  of  such 
a  body.  That  it  is  possible  in  such  circumstances  for 
self-complacent  and  aspiring  spirits,  "  loving  to  have  the 
pre-eminence,"  to  thrust  themselves  forward  to  the  dis- 
paragement of  worthier  men,  must  indeed  be  admitted. 
But  the  true  remedy  for  this  is  the  cultivation  of  the 
true  spirit  of  the  Church,  which  is  a  spirit  of  modesty, 
of  self-distrust,  of  retiring  humility,  while  at  the  same 


100 


THE  MINISTRY. 


time'it  is  a  spirit  that  shrinks  not  from  any  plainly  en- 
joined duty  or  service  of  use.  Contingent  evils  ought 
not  to  be  allowed  to  bear  down  and  frustrate  divinely 
instituted  goods.  "  It  is  not  always  those,"  says  Mr. 
Prescott,  "  who  tliink  themselves  qualified  and  who  have 
a  desire  to  preach,  who  are  qualified.  It  is  often  not  a 
spiritual  love  of  use  that  prompts  such  desire,  but  some- 
times a  mere  love  of  display,  or  a  high  opinion  of  one's 
own  intelligence,  or  the  desire  of  distinction  which  is  at 
the  bottom."  Granted,  but  what  then  ?  Are  there  not 
those  who  have  a  true  love  of  use,  and  who  are  not 
prompted  by  the  corrupt  motives  here  recited  ;  and  shall 
they  be  precluded  from  a  sphere  of  useful  action  in  the 
Lord's  church,  because  others  may  prostitute  that  service 
to  the  ends  of  vain  glory  ?  Is  it,  moreover,  just  to  in- 
sinuate of  such  men  who  are  drawn  to  this  province  of 
use  by  interior  promptings  of  pure  quality,  that  they  are 
self-appointed  if  they  enter  upon  it  with  the  full  concur- 
rence of  their  brethren  without  passing  through  the  pre- 
scribed church  forms  of  clerical  inauguration,  which 
perhaps  they  could  not  do  without  compromising  some 
of  the  clearest  and  most  sacred  convictions  of  their  own 
minds  ? 

We  do  not  forget,  in  all  this,  that  Mr.  Prescott  has 
cited  chapter  and  verse,  as  it  were,  from  our  great 
authority  on  this  head  to  which  he  will  challenge  assent, 
unless  we  are  prepared  to  disregard  it  altogether.  But 
we  are  at  present  prepared  neither  for  the  one  nor  the 
other.  We  respect  the  authority  of  Swedenborg,  but  we 
know  nothing  of  a  blind  allegiance  to  the  letter  of  par- 
ticular pai-agraphs  apart  from  the  ruling  scope  and 
genius  of  the  system  as  a  whole.  In  reading  the  works 
of  Swedenborg  we  recognize  a  certain  analogy  of  faith 
not  unlike  that  which  the  theologians  of  the  Old  Church 
insist  upon  as  a  necessary  element  in  the  interpretation 
of  the  inspired  Word.  He  himself  teaches  the  import- 
ance of  referring  every  thing  to  first  principles,  and  we 
could  not  be  faithful  to  his  lessons  were  we  to  shrink 
from  applying  the  test  of  a  rigid  logic  even  to  the  rela- 


THE  MINISTRY. 


101 


tiou  between  his  own  premises  and  conclusions,  and 
between  the  parts  and  the  whole.  In  the  matter  before 
US  we  do  not  see  that  we  can  be  mistaken  in  regard  to 
the  leading  scope  and  spirit  of  the  system  in  the  aggre- 
gate, nor,  assuming  our  view  of  this  to  be  correct,  do 
■we  see  why  our  inferences  therefrom  are  not  altogether 
legitimate  and  fair.  Consequently  if  certain  passages 
may  be  cited  which  seem,  from  the  letter,  to  lead  to 
difterent  results,  we  do  not  feel  required  at  once  to 
abandon  our  previous  ground,  but  will  rather  hold  our 
judgment  in  abeyance  and  wait  till  farther  light  has 
shown  how  apparent  discrepancies  may  be  reconciled. 
It  is  certain  that  compared  with  the  prominence  which 
the  ministry  holds  in  the  present  economy  of  the  ]S"ew 
Church,  very  little  is  said  about  it  by  our  author.  He 
has  no  chapter  in  the  "  True  Christian  religion"  devoted 
to  that  subject,  nor  does  he  anywhere  treat  of  the  church 
as  an  organized  visible  polity.  AV^hy  is  this  if  indeed 
these  are  matters  of  such  vital  moment  to  the  welfare  of 
the  Lord's  kingdom  on  earth  as  is  to  be  inferred  from 
the  general  estimate  in  which  they  have  been  held  ?  For 
ourselves  we  do  not  liesitate  to  infer  from  it  that  the 
very  genius  of  the  Xew  Church  is  anti-clerical,  and  that 
it  is  destined  to  work  a  complete  revolution  in  the  minds 
of  its  members  in  tliis  respect.  We  cannot  resist  the 
conviction  that  the  existing  order  of  things  in  the  Kew 
Dispensation,  which  has  doubtless  derived  its  origin 
from  the  Old,  has  tended  greatly  to  impede  individual 
regeneration,  by  delegating  the  oversight  of  the  interests 
of  tha  soul  to  a  consecrated  order  of  men,  instead  of  each 
one  being  taught  to  consider  them  as  entrusted  to  his 
own  keeping.  The  effect  has  been  to  segregate  the  con- 
cerns of  religion  from  the  ordinary  routine  of  life,  and 
to  give  rise  to  a  spurious  pietism  which  virtually  ignores 
a  life  of  charity  and  use.  The  church  and  the  world 
have  been  distinctly  marked  off  and  arrayed  against 
each  other  as  two  antagonist  kingdoms,  instead  of  vigor- 
ous efforts  being  made  to  break  down  all  artificial  bar- 
riers between  the  two,  and  to  infuse  the  true  and  genuine 
10 


102 


THE  MINISTRY . 


life  of  the  church  into  the  world, — the  complexion  to 
which  things  must  come  at  last. 

But  we  must,  perforce,  bring  our  remarks  to  a  close  at 
the  point  we  have  readied,  although  conscious  of  leaving 
a  multitude  of  closely-related  topics  altogether  untouched. 
Future  occasions  may  perhaps  warrant  more  extended 
discussion.  For  the  present  we  M'ould  simply  add,  that 
we  should  deem  it  injurious  if  a  revolutionary  character 
were  to  be  charged  upon  the  vein  of  our  remarks.  "VVe 
do  not  propound  our  sentiments  on  the  subject  before  us 
with  a  view  to  urge  any  sudden  or  violent  change  in  the 
existing  order  of  things,  but  simply  to  '  •Icit  truth,  which 
will  not  fail  to  be  adequately  operative  on  honest  minds 
when  once  clearly  established.  The  enunciation  of 
sound  principles  is  always  seasonable,  and  it  is  not  un- 
frequently  the  case  that  the  soundness  cannot  be  tested 
apart  from  the  enunciation.  Let  this  be  our  apology  or 
our  explanation  in  the  present  instance.  W"e  have  be- 
lieved, therefore  have  we  spoken. 


THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  MAGAZINE  AND  THE  NEW 
CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


[X.  C.  Repos.,  Aug.  1850.] 

We  have  already  advertised  our  readers  of  the  appear- 
ance, in  the  May  No.  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Magazine, 
of  a  somewhat  caustic  criticism  on  our  Remarks  upon 
Mr.  Frescott's  Letter.  Tiie  Letter  of  Mr.  P.  is  trans- 
ferred entire  with  much  approbation,  but  our  appended 
Remarks  have  evidently  greatly  disturbed  the  serenity 
of  the  writer,  whose  initials,  C.  R.,  indicate  the  Editor, 
and  filled  him  with  alarm  as  to  the  probable  con- 
sequences of  the  S])read  of  sentiments  so  pernicious. 
That  they  should  be  entertained  by  anyone  in  the  church 
is  indeed,  as  he  lets  us  know,  to  be  regretted,  but  seeing 
they  are  entertained,  it  is  perhaps  best  that  they  come 
forth  to  the  light  and  make  themselves  known.  It  is 
better  that  the  mental  iniposthume  should  break  and 
discharge  itself,  though  it  occasion  a  bad  odor,  than  that 
it  should  rankle  and  fester  within  and  out  of  reach. 
Though  the  sentiments  are  not  likely,  from  their  contra- 
vening the  express  autliority  of  Swedenborg,  and  the 
intuitions  of  his  disciples,  to  prevail  to  any  great  ex- 
tent, yet  "  us  they  are  put  forth  by  one  who  has  of  late 
taken  so  prominent  a  post  as  a  defender  and  disseminator 
of  New  Church  truth  and  doctrine,  we  feel  bound  to  take 
the  earliest  opportunity^  to  enter  our  protest  against  them, 
as  opposed  to  the  teachings  of  Swedenborg,  and  disor- 
derly and  injurious  in  their  tendency  and  influence."  To 
say  nothing  of  the  insinuated  charge  of  assumption  in 
taking  what  he  terms  "  a  prominent  post  as  a  defender 
and  disseminator  of  New  Church  truth  and  doctrine," — 
which  would  probably  have  been  a  less  oifence  had  we 
applied  at  the  proper  ecclesiastical  college  for  our  diploma 


104 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


— it  must  be  admitted  that  the  characterization  of  our 
strictures  is  not  of  a  very  soothing  tone,  and  that  of  the 
two  styles  of  rhetoric,  the  ad  conciliandum  and  the  ad 
invidiam^  the  writer  manifests  a  decided  preference  for 
the  latter.  As  to  the  implied  presumption  and  arrogance 
which  have  marked  our  humble  efforts  to  "  defend  and 
disseminate"  the  truths  of  the  New  Dispensation,  if  our 
critic  will  specify  the  exact  point  of  our  criminality  on 
this  score,  and  designate  the  appropriate  penalty  to  which 
we  ought  to  submit,  we  w'ill  promise  at  least  to  take  the 
matter  into  consideration,  and  if  we  can  convict  ourselves 
of  having  done  or  of  still  doing  wrong,  we  will  enter  our 
humble  confession  to  that  effect. 

As  to  the  outrage  upon  Swedenborg  and  the  asserted 
disorder  and  injuriousness  of  our  sentiments,  we  cannot 
feel  greatly  moved  so  long  as  we  fail  to  perceive  the 
truth  of  the  allegation.  Meantime  we  would  suggest,  by 
way  of  inquiry,  whether  the  higher  interests  of  the  New 
Church  would  not  be  as  much  promoted  by  a  tone  less 
invidious  and  bittei",  when  speaking  of  the  labors  of  those 
of  whose  motives  charity  would  dictate  a  favorable  con- 
struction on  the  whole. 

In  following  the  thread  of  our  reviewer's  censures  we 
can  but  barely  glance  at  the  more  prominent  points  ad- 
verted to,  and  in  which  he  has  assailed  the  main  positions 
of  our  article.  Yet  without  extended  quotations  and 
elaborate  arguments  it  is  difficult  to  do  justice  to  our 
views  or  to  countervail  the  effect  of  a  certain  plausive 
sphere  that  diffuses  itself  around  the  paragraphs  of  the 
reply.    But  something  may  be  urged  contra. 

"  In  running  through  Professor  Bush's  remarks,  one  of  the  first 
things  which  strikes  the  reader  is,  their  constantly  disparaging  tone  in 
regard  to  the  ministry ;— not  the  clergy  of  the  present  day,  whom  he 
specially  excepts,  as  '  conscientious  and  well-intentioned  men,'  but  the 
institution  itself.  The  distinction  between  the  clergy  and  the  laity,  is 
spoken  of  as  a  falsity  and  a  sophism,  and  as  having  '  opened  a  Pan- 
dora's box  of  evils  and  mischief's  to  the  Church  of  the  Past.'  We 
speak  of  this  as  one  of  the  first  things  to  strike  the  reader,  because  it 
is  so  entirely  different  from  anything  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of 
Swedenborg.    Indeed,  one  can  hardly  avoid  asking  whether  he  is 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTKT. 


105 


really  perusing  the  production  of  a  professed  receiver  of  the  heavenly 
doctrines,  or  that  of  some  of  those  self-styled  reformers  of  the  day,  who 
attribute  all  evils  to  the  mere  relations  and  circumstances  of  society, 
without  tracing  them,  as  Swedeuborg  always  does,  to  their  true  source, 
in  the  loves  of  self  and  of  the  world."— P.  169. 

The  writer  here  manages  to  work  himself  into  a  sur- 
prise which  is  itself  not  a  little  surprising  when  the  oh- 
ject  of  our  Remarks  is  taken  into  vicvv'.  Wliat  was  that 
object?  Not  the  disparagement  of  the  ministry  in  the 
abstract,  but  simply  to  show  that  certain  views  enter- 
tained of  the  ministry — certain  theories  relative  to  the 
ministry  as  a  distinct  and  self-perpetuating  order — were 
incorrect.  In  this  light,  therefore,  and  in  this  alone  do 
we  speak  disparagingly  of  the  ministry,  i.  e.  as  an  insti- 
tution which,  in  its  present  form,  is  a  perversion  of  true 
order — an  opinion  for  wliich  we  give  our  reasons,  such 
as  tliey  are.  Is  there  anything  in  this  which  should 
move  the  critic's  special  wonder  ?  So  far  from  its  being 
••  one  of  th3  first  things  whicli  strikes  the  reader"  that 
we  speak  of  the  distinction  b3t\veen  the  clergy  and'the 
laity  as  a  falsity  and  a  S'  i[>hism,  it  is  about  the  only  thing 
that  will  strike  him  at  all,  a-j  this  is  the  express  and 
avowed  drift  of  the  Remarks  from  beginning  to  end. 
This  C.  R.  would  have  us  believe  to  be  very  surprising, 
"  because  so  entirely  different  from  anything  to  be  found 
in  the  writings  of  Swedenborg."  Our  censor  must  have 
read  Swedenborg  with  very  diffe  rent  eyes  from  ours,  if 
he  has  not  found  hhn  speaking  disparagingly  of  things 
which  he  regarded  as  false  and  as  perversions  of  order, 
and  this  is  the  only  poin^,  in  which  there  is  any  ground 
for  tlie  comparison.  ^Ve  are  speaking  of  the  Kew 
Church,  in  which  we  deny  that  the  peculiar  distinction 
so  long  maintained  hitherto  between  clergy  and  laity  is 
to  be  recognized.  We  deny  that  this  is  fairly  to  be  made 
out  from  Swedenborg  himself,  or,  in  other  words,  that 
our  position  in  this  matter  is  not  accordant  with  his, 
inastuuch  as  we  contend  that  he  does  not  assert  such  a 
distinction,  and  that  the  principles  of  the  ISTew  Church 
are  inconsistent  with  it.  What  then  does  the  writer 
10* 


106 


THE  NEW  CHUKCn  MINISTRY. 


mean  by  saying  that  our  train  of  remark  is  "  so  entirely 
different  from  anything  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of 
Swedenborg  ?"  If  he  means  that  there  is  nothing  in 
Swedenborg  to  sustain  our  main  position,  he  takes  for 
granted  the  very  point  in  debate,  and  arrays  against  us 
the  example  of  our  author  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
odium.  If  he  refers  to  the  general  tone  or  style  in  which 
Swedenborg  speaks  of  things  that  he  considers  false  or 
fallacious,  it  has  certainly  very  little  to  do  with  the  ar- 
gument, besides  that  we  are  not  conscious  of  anything 
more  than  a  design  to  enunciate  clearly  and  emphatically 
what  we  believe  to  be  true,  and  of  this  mode  of  discus- 
sion we  have  ourselves  found  a  great  many  specimens 
in  Swedenborg.  As  to  not  tracing  the  evils  in  question 
"  to  their  true  source  in  the  loves  of  self  and  the  world," 
it  is  precisely  to  this  origin  that  we  refer  them.  The 
besetting  sin  of  the  clergy  in  all  the  ages  of  the  past  has 
been  pre-eminently  "  the  love  of  ruling  from  the  love  of 
self." 

"  But  we  almost  hear  our  readers  exclaim,  wliat  is  the  meaning  of 
all  this  ?  Is  not  Professor  Bush  aware  tliat  Swedenborg  not  only  re- 
cognizes the  distinction  between  clergy  and  laity,  but  always  treats  it 
with  the  most  perfect  respect,  and  even  declares  the  priesthood  to  be 
necessary  to  the  preservation  of  order  in  the  world,  without  which  [i.  e. 
order,  not  the  priesthood]  the  human  race  umst  perish?  {H.  D.  311, 
314.")— P.  169. 

We  must  of  course  be  egregiously  ignorant  of  the 
whole  subject  as  treated  by  Swedenborg  not  to  be  aware 
of  what  is  said  in  the  famous  chapter  of  the  Heavenly 
Doctrines  on  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil  Government.  But 
we  view  the  scope  of  this  chapter  in  a  very  different 
light  from  that  in  whicli  C.  R.  looks  upon  it.  We  regard 
it  as  simply  a  declaration  of  the  great  principles  of  order 
by  which  the  Divine  Providence  governs  the  afiairs  of 
the  world  in  its  two  leading  departments,  secular  and  sa- 
cred. We  see  in  it  no  special  allusion  to  the  New  Church 
— no  formula  of  civil  or  ecclesiastical  regimen  to  be 
adopted  in  that  Church — but  a  comprehensive  statement 
of  the  economy  by  which  the  Divine  Wisdom  has  ever 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


107 


hitherto  kept  the  world  in  order,  and  still  continues  to 
do  so.  It  is  a  summary  of  that  grand  system  of  agencies 
by  which  the  various  evil  promptings  of  our  fallen  nature 
are  controlled,  and  an  expose  of  the  principles  by  which 
those  ought  to  be  governed  who  are  called  to  exercise 
the  functions  of  office  in  each  of  these  important  spheres 
of  action.  If  a  priesthood  is  a  necessary  appendage  to 
the  Xew  Church  it  is  incredible  that  it  should  not  have 
been  explicitly  stated  in  the  True  Christian  Religion  or 
in  some  other  parts  of  the  writings.  The  spirit  of  the 
following  passage  is  at  any  rate  decidedly  against  it. 
"  All  things  that  were  done  in  that  Church  (the  Jewish) 
were  turned  in  Heaven  into  corresponding  representa- 
tives. But  after  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  when  external 
rites  were  abolished,  and  thus  representatives  ceased, 
then  such  things  were  no  longer  changed  in  Heaven 
into  corresponding  representatives  ;  for  when  man  be- 
comes internal,  and  is  instructed  concerning  things 
internal,  then  external  things  are  as  nothing  to  him^ 
for  he  then  knows  Avhat  is  holy,  viz.  that  charity  is 
so,  and  faith  thence  :  from  these  his  externals  are  then 
viewed,  namely,  as  to  how  much  of  charity  and  faith 
towards  the  Lord  there  is  in  the  externals  :  Wherefore, 
since  the  LorcVs  coming^  man  is  not  considered  in  heaven 
with  respect  to  things  external,  hut  to  things  internal,  if 
any  one  be  considered  in  respect  to  things  external,  it  is 
hence  that  he  has  simplicity,  and  in  simplicity  has  inno- 
cence and  charity,  which  are  in  things  external,  or  in  his 
external  worship,  from  the  Lord,  whilst  the  man  himself 
is  ignorant  of  it." — A.  C.  1003. 

The  writer  goes  on  to  make  a  somewhat  extended 
quotation  from  our  remarks  in  which  we  state  our  rea- 
sons for  believing  the  New  Church  to  be  anti-clerical  in 
its  genius,  notwithstanding  that  a  contrary  inference 
might  be  drawn  from  the  letter  of  occasional  paragraphs, 
and  upon  this  extract  he  comments  as  follows  : 

"  Here,  if  wc  understand  the  language,  it  is  admitted  that  Sweden- 
borg  does  expressly  teach  that  the  New  Church  should  have  a  min- 


108 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


istry,  as  indeed  it  must  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  deny.  But  it  is 
assumed  in  the  same  breath  that  what  he  thus  taught  in  '  the  letter  of 
particular  paragraphs,'  is  opposed  to  '  the  ruliug  scope  and  genius  of 
the  system  as  a  whole.'  In  plain  English  the  meaning  is,  that  Sweden- 
boVg  did  not  understand  the  scope  and  genius  of  the  system  which  he 
was  raised  up  and  commissioned  of  the  Lord  to  expound  for  the  instruc- 
tion and  benefit  of  mankind  ;  and  consequently  that  his  writings 
already  need  the  ajiplication  of  Prof  Bush's  '  rigid  logic,'  to  prune 
them  of  such  antiquated  and  injurious  excrescences  as  the  idea  of  a 
regular  and  established  ministry,  and  to  show  them  up  in  the  beauty 
of  their  true  '  auti-clerical'  character.  In  this  matter  it  seems  that 
Prof  Bush  has  made  up  his  mind  so  clearly  that  he  '  does  not  see  that 
he  can  be  mistaken.'  'i'here  is  only  one  alternative,  and  that  is,  that 
Swedeuborg  must  be  mistaken.  He  has  indeed  the  modesty  to  speak 
of  waiting  for  further  light,  and  in  the  mean  time  of  holding  his  judg- 
ment in  aljeyance.  But  we  think  it  plain  that  he  has  made  a  mistake 
here,  as  it  is  not  his  own  judgment,  but  Swedenborg's  doctrine  con- 
cerning the  ministry,  which  he  holds  in  abeyance." — P.  170. 

We  cauuot  well  conceive  anything  more  unfeir  and 
invidious  than  the  complexion  here  given  to  our  senti- 
ments. In  the  iirst  place  it  is  not  admitted  in  the  pas- 
sage quoted  that  "  Swedenborg  expressly  teaches  that 
the  New  Church  should  have  a  ministry,"  nor  had  the 
writer  any  authority  for  asserting  it.  We  simply  say 
that  "  we  do  not  forget,  in  all  this,  that  Mr.  Prescott  has 
cited  chapter  and  \erse,  as  it  were,  from  our  great 
authority  on  this  head,  to  which  lie  will  challenge  assent, 
unless  we  are  prepared  to  disregard  it  altogether.  But 
we  are  at  present  prepared  neither  for  the  one  noi-  the 
other.  We  respect  the  authority  of  Swedenborg,  but  we 
know  nothing  of  a  blind  allegiance  to  the  letter  of  par- 
ticular paragraplis  apart  from  the  ruling  scope  and  genius 
of  tlie  S3'stem  a^  a  whole.  He  himself  teaches  the  im- 
portance of  reierring  evcrythiug  to  first  principles,  and 
we  could  not  be  faithful  to  his  lessons  were  we  to  shrink 
from  applying  the  test  of  a  rigid  logic  even  to  the  relation 
between  his  own  premises  and  conclusions,  and  between 
the  parts  and  the  whole."  It  will  be  seen  that  it  is  only 
by  violence  that  he  extorts  from  these  words  the  admission 
that  Swedenborg  '■'■expressly  teaches"  what  is  affirmed. 
Wc  say  that  Mr.  Prescott  has  referred  to  certain  portions 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


109 


of  the  writings  which  lie  understands  as  sustaining  his 
views,  in  which,  while,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  we 
do  not  deny,  yet  neither  do  we  admit,  that  the  purport 
of  the  letter  favors  his  idea.  Still  we  maintain  that  a 
logical  consistency  of  interpretation  requires  another 
meaning  to  be  put  upon  the  language,  for  which  we  pro- 
ceed to  assign  our  reasons  at  some  length.  This  the  re- 
viewer tortures  into  the  ill-natured  paragraph  above,  in 
which  we  are  represented  as  virtually  charging  Sweden- 
borg  with  being  ignorant  of  his  own  system,  with  being 
mistaken,  and  his  writings  needing  explication  by  means 
of  our  "  rigid  logic.'"  If  these  are  the  weapons  of  New 
Church  warfare,  we  have  sadly  mistaken  its  genius.  Is 
it  so  very  difficult  for  C.  R.  to  perceive  that  what  we 
mainly  deny  is  not  a  function  of  ministry  in  the  New 
Church,  but  an  office  or  order  of  clergy^  for  while  we  hold 
to  the  one  we  repudiate  the  other ;  and  yet  C.  R.  would 
fain  bring  us  under  the  odium  of  rejecting  both.  This 
is  very  much  the  character  of  the  article  throughout. 
"Whatever  advantage  it  may  appear  to  gain  is  the  result 
of  thus  arraying  our  positions  in  alleged  antagonism  with 
Swedenborg,  and  disregarding  the  real  distinctions  which 
we  are  careful  to  make.  Thus,  for  instance  : — "  The 
more  we  have  studied  Swedenborg,  the  more  fully  have 
we  been  convinced  not  only  that  he  was  commissioned 
by  the  Lord  to  announce  the  doctrines  of  the  New 
Church,  and  to  teach  and  explain  them  in  his  writings, 
but  that  he  was  most  wonderfully  fitted  and  prepared 
for  this  high  office,  not  merely  by  being  imbued  with 
their  true  spirit,  but  also  with  a  sound  wisdom  and 
judgment  in  regard  to  all  necessary  details."  And 
what  of  all  this  ?  "Who  denies  it  ?  What  have  we  said 
that  makes  this  vindication  necessary  ?  The  passage 
has  no  relevancy  in  this  connexion,  except  so  far  as  it 
involves  the  implication  that  we  had  advanced  something- 
inconsistent  with  it,  which  is  not  the  case.  There  is  no 
dispute  as  to  the  endowments  or  authority  of  Swedenborg . 
The  only  question  is  as  to  his  meaning.  This  C.  R.  evi- 
dently regards  as  so  plain  as  to  admit  but  of  one  possible 


110 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


construction,  and  that  whoever  dissents  from  that  rejects 
his  authority.    We  dissent  notwithstanding. 

"  But  let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  some  of  the  points  of  Prof.  Bush's 
remarks,  without  however  undertaking  to  examine  them  very  fully. 
So  far  as  we  can  gather  up  his  chief  argument  against  the  distinction 
between  the  clergy  and  the  laity  is  this.  Every  one  is  virtually  and 
potentially  a  minister,  preacher,  or  priest,  because  every  one  is  a  church 
in  the  least  form.  As,  therefore,  all  are  ministers,  the  distinction 
between  clergy  and  laity  is  obliterated  ;  because  there  is  no  longer  any 
laity  left,  from  which  the  clergy  can  be  distinguished.  But  what  sort 
of  rigid  logic  is  this  ?  Would  it  not  be  equally  just  to  begin  with 
assuming,  that  because  every  one  is  a  church  in  the  least  form,  there- 
fore every  one  is  a  layman,  and  cut  off  the  distinction  by  thus  showing 
that  there  are  no  clergy  fi-om  which  the  laity  can  be  distinguished  ? 
And  the  same  course  of  reasoning  would  equally  show  that  there  is  no 
distinction  between  kings  and  their  subjects,  magistrates  and  private 
citizens.  Because  every  one  is  a  church  in  the  least  form,  or  an  indi- 
vidual man,  therefore  every  one  is  a  king  and  there  are  no  subjects, 
or  every  one  is  a  subject  and  there  are  no  kings  ;  every  one  is  a  magis- 
trate and  there  are  no  private  citizens,  or  every  one  is  a  private  citi- 
zen and  there  are  no  magistrates,  and  so  on  throughout  all  the  relations 
of  society.  AVe  are  not  conscious  that  we  have  in  the  least  misrepre- 
sented Professor  Bush  on  this  point,  incredible  as  it  may  seem  that  he 
should  take  such  ground.  And  though  it  has  iu  part  the  appearance 
of  a  logical  or  syllogistic  statement  and  inference,  we  regard  it  simply 
as  a  piece  of  sheer  sophistry." — Pp.  171, 172. 

Our  critic  has  not  misrepresented  us,  neither  has  he 
confuted  us,  notwithstanding  its  being  so  "incredible 
that  we  should  take  such  ground,"  and  notwithstanding 
his  magisterial  verdict  upon  it  as  "  simply  a  piece  of 
sheer  sophistry."  Does  not  C.  R.  admit  that  8wedeu- 
boi'g  again  and  again  declares  that  "  every  man  of  the 
churcli  is  a  church  in  the  least  form  ?"  If  he  does,  with 
what  face  does  he  venture  to  charge  us  with  rejecting 
the  authority  of  our  illumined  teacher  ?  And  why  does 
he  virtually  involve  this  proposition  in  tlie  same  odium 
with  the  inference  which  we  profess  to  draw  logically 
from  it,  viz.,  that  if  every  man  of  the  church  is  a  church 
in  the  least  form,  then  every  constituent  element'of  the 
church  in  a  larger  form  exists  also  in  the  church  in  its 
least  form,  consequently  if  the  priesthood,  ministry,  or 
clergy  is  an  essential  principle  in  the  one  it  is  also  in  the 


THE  NEW  CIITJRCH  MINISTRY. 


Ill 


other '{  If  this  inference  is  unsound  or  fallacious,  why 
not  prove  it  to  be  so,  still  vindicating  the  fundamental 
truth  from  the  gross  perversion  to  which  we  have  sub- 
jected it  ?  But  from  his  treatment  of  our  position  no  one 
would  know  but  that  he  rejected  the  premise  as  well  as 
the  conclusion,  for  he  speaks  of  the  whole  without  dis- 
crimination as  "  a  piece  of  sheer  sophistry."  Bat  let  us 
look  at  his  "  rigid  logic."  "  Would  it  not  be  equally 
just  to  begin  with  assuming,  that  because  every  one  is  a 
church  in  the  least  form,  therefore  every  one  is  a  layman, 
and  cut  off  the  distinction  by  thus  showing  that  there  are 
no  clergy  from  which  the  laity  can  be  distinguished  ? 
And  so  in  like  manner  as  to  kings  and  subjects,  magis- 
trates and  private  citizens."  But  C.  E..  is  in  the  same 
category  with  ourselves  as  to  the  admission  that  all  good 
men  are  spiritually  both  priests  and  kings,  for  this  is  ex- 
pressly declared  in  the  Word,  while  it  is  7iot  said  that 
they  are  laity  and  subjects.  It  is  in  vain  for  him  to  deny 
this  and  still  claim  to  be  a  believer  in  the  Word,  or  a  re- 
ceiver of  Swedenborg's  exposition.  The  only  question 
that  then  remains  is,  as  to  the  relation  which  this  spirit- 
ual dignity  bears,  in  the  New  Church  dispensation,  to 
the  outward  or  idtimate  office  so  denominated.  Is  there 
a?iy  relation  between  them  ?  In  other  words,  is  there 
any  other  than  a  spiritual  priesthood  recognized  in  the 
New  Church  ?  If  so,  what  is  it,  and  where  have  we  an 
account  of  it  ?  Let  us  not  be  answered  by  saying  that 
the  internal  of  the  New  Church  is  constituted  by  the 
priesthood  or  clergy,  and  the  external  by  the  laity,  for 
this  is  an  assertion  that  equally  lacks  proof,  although  it 
holds  good  in  the  Old  Church.  What  we  are  authorized 
to  demand  is,  the  evidence  that  in  the  New  Jerusalem 
any  priesthood  or  clergy  in  ultimates  is  recognized  by 
our  author.  We  do  not  find  it ;  and  therefore  we  say 
that  every  man  of  the  church,  being  a  church  in  the  least 
form,  and  being  actually  a  priest  in  spiritual  dignity,  is 
potentially  a  priest  in  natural  function  as  to  all  those 
services  of  instruction,  admonition  and  guidance,  which 
may  be  requisite  for  the  edification  of  the  Lord's  body 


112 


THE  NEW  CnrRCK  MINISTRY. 


on  the  earth.  This  is  the  true  ministry  of  the  trne 
church.  It  is  uot  the  priesthood  teaching  the  laity,  for 
such  a  distinction  is  necessarily  done  away  by  their  being 
all  priests  ;  but  it  is  one  portion  of  the  spiritual  priest- 
hood teaching  another,  while  they  all  stand  upon  the 
same  plane.  How  can  it  be  otherwise,  if  all  are  priests 
in  the  sense  affirmed  ?  If  the  question  is  alleged  to 
have  relation  to  another  kind  of  priests,  we  ask  again 
who  they  are,  and  what  is  the  authority  for  them  ?  How 
futile  then  the  objection  urged  above,  that  we  may  just 
as  well  maintain  that  from  the  doing  away  of  all  distinc- 
tion between  the  clergy  and  laity  every  man  is  a  layman 
and  there  is  no  clergy.  This  is  an  objection  that  could 
never  be  urged  but  upon  ground  which  we  expressly 
deny,  to  wit,  that  such  a  distinction  as  C.  R.  holds  between 
clergy  and  laity  exists.  From  the  express  declaration  of 
the  Word  that  spiritual  priesthood  embraces  aZZ,  there 
can  of  course  be  no  laity  in  the  corresponding  sense.  So 
also  in  regard  to  the  royalty.  If  all  are  kings  they  can- 
not be  at  the  same  time  subjects.  Consequently  the 
charge  of  "  sheer  sophistry"  may  as  well  be  made  to  shift 
sides. 

But  the  beauty  of  our  critic's  logic  looms  up  to  sight 
in  the  next  paragraph,  where  he  unequivocally  endorses 
the  very  view  of  the  subject  which  we  have  given,  and 
which,  at  the  same  time,  he  is  so  earnest  in  condemning. 

"  Now  let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  the  doctrine  on  this  same  point 
as  taught  by  Swedenborg,  which  we  briefly  state  thus.  Every  one  is 
a  church  in  the  least  form.  But  men  are  created  with  different  capaci- 
ties and  tastes,  fitting  them  for  the  performance  of  different  uses  ;  and 
when  several  are  united  together,  who  are  mutually  adapted  to  each 
other,  they  form  a  society  or  social  man,  or  church  in  a  larger  form. 
This  society  corresponds  with  the  respective  individuals  of  whom  it  is 
composed.  That  is,  it  is  spiritually  in  the  human  form,  and  the  indi- 
viduals of  whom  it  is  composed  actually  belong  to  the  respective  parts 
of  that  form  to  which  their  several  uses  correspond.  There  is,  there- 
fore, among  them  all  the  variety  of  function,  of  quality,  of  rank,  or 
grade,  in  fiue,  of  distinction,  which  is  to  be  found  in  different  parts  of 
the  human  body."— P.  172. 

We  should  confess  to  a  great  mistake  in  our  anticipa- 


THE  NEW  CHUKCII  JIINISTRY. 


113 


tions  were  any  sensible  and  candid  man  to  peruse  our 
article  and  pronounce  one  item  of  it  at  variance  with  the 
view  here  set  forth  as  that  which  Swedenborg  teaches. 
We  most  fully  agree  that  the  form  of  a  New  Church 
society  is  the  human  form,  and  that  there  is  among  the 
members  "  all  the  variety  of  function,  of  quality,  of  rank, 
or  grade,  in  fine,  of  distinction^  which  is  to  be  found  in 
diflerent  parts  of  the  human  body."  But  in  order  that 
this  language  may  be  made  to  sustain  C.  R.'s  view  of  the 
subject  some  one  member  or  organ  ought  more  speci- 
ficall}^  to  represent  the  clergy  than  the  rest  of  the  body  ? 
To  which  of  these,  in  C.  R.'s  opinion,  does  the  priesthood 
correspond  ?  He  is  very  careful  to  affirm  the  analogy  in 
general,  and  equally  so  not  to  define  it  in  particular. 
Why  not  specify  the  items  of  coincidence  ?  We  ai'e 
perfectly  ready  to  admit  that  the  function  of  teaching 
supposes  in  those  who  exercise  it  a  more  internal  state 
than  distinguishes  those  who  are  subjects  of  it,  and  that 
this  ministry  is  properly  represented  by  the  more  central 
and  dominant  organs  of  the  body.  But  as  these  are  in 
the  body  and  a  part  of  it,  so  the  teaching  ministry  is  a 
part  of  the  spiritual  body,  and  not  on  a  plane  above  it. 
But  he  goes  on. 

"  Neither  can  there  be  the  least  doubt  that  the  general  scope  and 
spirit  of  this  doctrine  recognize  in  society  every  variety  of  distinction 
which  exists  between  the  different  organs  of  the  human  body,  with 
every  variety  of  grade  which  intervenes  between  the  head  and  the  feet. 
And  yet  Prof.  Bush  appears  to  see  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  actually 
asserts  '  that  diversity  of  uses  in  the  Lord's  spiritual  body  does  not 
necessarily  create  diversity  of  grades  in  those  who  perform  such  uses.' 
To  this  absurdity  is  he  fairly  driven  by  his  logic,  which  infers  that 
because  all  members  of  the  social  body  are  men,  therefore  there  is  no 
distinction  between  them  ;  and  would  equally  prove,  that  because  the 
head  and  feet  are  parts  of  the  same  individual  man,  therefore  the  one  is 
not  above  the  other,  but  that  they  are  both  on  precisely  the  same  level, 
and  the  human  system  is  as  destitute  of  organization  as  a  block  or  a 
stone."— Pp.  172, 173. 

We  should  be  somewhat  interested  to  see  an  attempt 
made  to  misrepresent  our  real  sentiments  more  effec- 
tually than  is  here  done.  From  the  tenor  of  our  remarks 


lU 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


nothing  could  be  more  obvious  than  that  by  "diversit}' 
of  grades^''''  we  mean  that  kind  of  grade  which  separates 
one  class  in  the  church  from  another  by  a  discrete  degree 
of  dignity  and  pre  eminence.  Such  a  grade  we  under- 
stand to  be  occupied  by  the  clergy  as  contradistinguished 
from  the  laity.  Such  a  grade  we  do  not  recognize  as 
existing  in  the  New  Cluirch,  nor  do  we  consider  the 
analogy  on  which  C.  K.  insists  as  requiring  the  admission 
of  that  kind  of  distinction.  The  variety  of  functions  and 
uses  in  the  natural  body,  we  freely  concede  to  have  their 
analogues  in  the  spiritual,  but  we  are  wholly  at  a  loss  to 
discover  with  which  of  the  corporeal  organs  or  powers 
the  clerical  caste  corresponds. 

As  our  critic  proceeds  in  l)is  strictures  he  ascribes  to 
us  the  confusion  which  he  finds  in  his  own  ideas  in  regard 
to  a  distinction  in  use  wliich  does  not  amount  to  a  dis- 
tinction in  oflSce.  "  Our  own  view  of  the  case  is,  that 
the  attempt  which  Prof.  Bush  has  made  to  explain  this 
difficulty  is  not  a  successful  one ;  and  we  think,  more- 
over, that  the  more  it  should  be  extended,  the  less  suc- 
cessful it  would  be.  For  he  very  carefull}^  leaves  out  of 
the  case  one  essential  element,  and  the  farther  the  argu- 
ment is  pursued  the  greater  is  the  confusion  that  ensues. 
This  element  is  the  religious  or  sacred  or  priestly  order." 
That  is  to  say,  that  inasmuch  as  we  deny  the  priestly  caste 
in  the  New  Church  in  contradistinction  from  the  laic,  we 
therefore  exclude  that  element  in  the  chin-ch  which  is 
properly  to  be  deemed  "  religious  or  sacred,"  as  these  epi- 
thets he  makes  synoJiymoiis  with  "  priestly."  How  far 
this  comes  short  of  denying  to  the  profane  laity  any 
thing  "  religious  or  sacred"  and  ascribing  it  wholly  to 
the  clergy  perhaps  other  eyes  may  see  more  clearly  than 
our  own.  As  to  the  truth  of  the  allegation  as  bearing 
upon  onr  views,  we  have  only  to  say,  that  if  there  is  a 
"  religious  or  sacred  element"  in  the  church  or  in  the 
universe  we  recognize  it  in  the  function  performed  by 
the  teaching  ministry.  Is  there  no  possibility  for  a  reli- 
gious element  to  come  into  play  in  the  New  Church  but 
through  the  medium  of  just  such  a  priesthood  as  C.  R. 


THE  NEW  CHURCn  mNISTRY. 


115 


contends  for ?  But  again,  "He  concedes  something  to 
the  necessity  of  having  teachers  in  the  church,  but  he 
makes  no  concession  in  favor  of  a  ministry  or  priesthood, 
or  of  anything  strictly  clerical."  The  reader  is  of  course 
aware  by  this  time  of  the  true  sense  in  which  onr  lan- 
guage is  to  be  nnderstood,  and  of  the  genuine  grounds 
on  which  our  positions  rest.  TTe  do  make  concession  in 
favor  of  a  ministry,  a  function  of  teaching,  but  not  of  a 
priesthood  or  clergy,  because  the  ideas  conveyed  by 
these  latter  terms  are  to  our  apprehension  entirely  dif- 
ferent. If  it  be  not  so.  it  behoved  our  opponent  to  show, 
in  an  argumentative  way,  the  tallacy  of  the  distinction  ; 
but  instead  of  this  he  confronts  us  afresh  with  his  quota- 
tions from  the  famous  chapter  on  civil  and  jecclesiastical 
government,  around  which  as  a  centre  the  clerical  argu- 
ment always  swings,  and  to  which  it  is  apparently 
tethered. 

"  "Wc  hardly  need  remind  our  readers  how  difTereut  this  teaching  is 
from  the  teaching  of  Swedenl)org,  who  says  that  there  are  two  things 
which  ought  to  be  in  order  among  men, — the  things  of  heaven  and 
the  things  of  the  world,  or  ecclesiastical  things  and  civil  things.  That 
this  order  cannot  be  maintained  without  governors,  and  that  governors 
over  ecclesiastical  things  are  called  priests,  and  their  office  the  priest- 
hood. Also  that  dignity  and  honor  ought  to  be  paid  to  priests,  on 
account  of  the  sanctity  of  their  office.  {H.  D.  311-318.)  But,  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Bush,  the  sooner  the  seal  of  this  sanctity  is  removed  the 
better."— P.  174. 

Here,  as  usual,  a  special  turn  or  twist  is  given  to  our 
words,  making  them  to  utter  as  offensive  a  sentiment  as 
possible.  Our  language  is  as  follows  : — "  But  here  we 
can  easily  foresee  that  the  claims  of  order  will  be  urged. 
Is  it  not  opening  the  door  to  confusion  and  every  evil 
work  to  concede  such  license  on  the  score  of  preaching 
or  teaching  ?  Will  it  not  be  a  grievous  infraction  of 
order  and  a  serious  perilling  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
Church  if  the  seal  of  sanctity  be  taken  off  from  the 
clerical  ofBce,  and  the  current  distinction  between  clergy 
and  laity  virtually  done  away  The  sanctity  of  which 
we  speak  is  the  sanctity  attaching  in  the  estimation  of 
the  Christian  world  to  an  order  of  men  called  the  clergy 


116 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


or  priesthood^  which  we  deny  to  exist  in  the  ISTew  Church. 
All  that  we  should  say  is,  that  tliat  peculiar  form  of  sanc- 
tity which  has  been  supposed  to  pertain  to  the  clergy  of 
the  Christian  Church  is  not  mentally  carried  over  to  the 
true  ministry  of  the  New  Church,  which  is  constructed 
after  an  entirely  different  model.  To  this  also  as  being 
the  Lord's  ordinance  we  believe  a  genuine  sanctity 
belongs,  from  which  we  would  not  derogate  in  the  least. 
Yet  C.  R.  asserts  that  "  the  teachers  which  our  theory 
contemplates  are  not  properly  ministers  ;  for  their  office, 
if  indeed  any  official  station  is  really  left  them,  is  entirely 
divested  of  all  idea  of  sanctity."  Why  so  ?  If  they  are 
of  divine  appointment,  or  in  accordance  with  divine 
order,  why  should  they  not  have  all  requisite  sanctity  ? 
Every  thing  has  its  sanctity  according  to  the  degree  and 
quality  of  its  use,  and  the  measure  of  the  divine  influx 
into  it.  What  motive  could  we  have  for  impairing  the 
reverence  for  this  kind  of  sanctity  ?  As  to  the  citation 
from  Swedenborg,  which  our  critic  would  fain  offset 
against  us,  we  perceive  in  it  no  special  appropriateness 
to  the  present  case,  as  we,  like  him,  are  disposed  to  let 
the  Old  Church  remain  in  possession  of  all  the  sanctity 
that  its  votaries  may  think  fit  to  ascribe  to  it,  only  we 
object  to  predicating  the  same  kind  of  sanctity  of  the 
teachers  of  the  New  Church,  because  we  do  not  look 
upon  them  as  constituting  the  same  order.  As  to 
Swedenborg  himself,  he  would  naturally  in  this  relation 
speak  of  the  sanctity  of  the  priestly  office,  because  speak- 
ing of  what  was  rejouted  holy  in  the  existing  order  of 
things  in  the  world. 

The  same  remark  applies  to  the  extracts  from  the 
"  Doctrine  of  Charity,"  which  evidently  inculcate  the 
exercise  of  that  principle  in  the  various  relations  of  life, 
as  society  is  at  present  constituted.  For  this  reason  it 
prescribes,  among  other  things,  the  duties  incumbent 
upon  soldiers  and  generals.  Can  such  a  state  of  things 
exist  in  the  New  Jerusalem  ?  Will  wars  and  fightings 
find  place  under  that  dispensation  of  love  and  peace  ? 
Not  but  that  the  men  of  that  dispensation,  in  its  earlier 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  MINISTRY. 


117 


stages,  may  be  brought  into  contact  with  the  "  horrid 
trade"  of  arms,  but  can  its  genius  harmonize  with  the 
spirit  of  carnage  and  conquest  ?  Can  the  institutions  of 
war  spring  up  as  a  natural  growth  under  the  benignant 
and  heavenly  auspices  of  the  Kew  Jerusalem  ?  It  is 
obvious  then  that  Swedenborg  pre?cribes  the  duties  of 
charity  in  a  reference  to  a  state  of  things  whicli  will  pass 
away  as  the  Holy  City  descends  more  and  more  fully 
into  the  minds  of  men.  On  this  ground  we  interpret  all 
such  passages  as  those  so  often  quoted  in  defence  of  cleri- 
cal prerogative.  They  are  dicta  not  strictly  predicable 
of  the  ISTew  Church,  but  of  the  Old.  This  construction 
will  doubtless  be  regarded  as  the  crown  of  all  our  here- 
sies— an  imputation  to  which  we  shall  submit  with  the 
best  grace  we  can  command. 

We  had  said,  in  the  course  of  our  Remarks,  that 
among  the  contrasted  characteristics  of  the  Old  and  the 
Xew  Church  was  this,  that  in  the  Old  Church  the  indi- 
vidual man  was  held  in  al)eyance,  while  in  the  Xew  he 
was  brought  forward  and  elevated — that  freedom  and 
rationality  were  especiall}-  his  prerogatives,  the  exercise 
of  which  he  was  never  to  wave — that  each  individual 
must  see  truth  for  himself  and  order  his  life  according  to 
it.  In  this  we  had  reference  to  what  Swedenborg  more 
than  once  says  relative  to  the  mass  of  men  in  Christen- 
dom, that  they  are  prone  to  take  up  their  religious  senti- 
ments from  tradition  and  education,  thinking  blindly 
with  the  multitude,  and  making  it  merely  a  thing  of  the 
memory,  whereas,  the  very  genius  of  the  New  Church 
requires  that  every  man  should  have  a  clear  and  rational 
perception  of  truth  for  himself  and  order  his  life  accord- 
ingly. But  upon  this  score  our  article  is  again  taken 
seriously  to  task. 

"  Now  we  know  of  no  authority  whatever  for  the  distinction  here 
stated,  in  regard  to  the  individual  man  being  kept  in  abeyance  in  the 
Old  Church,  and  elevated  in  the  New.  Indeed,  if  there  is  any  differ- 
ence of  the  kind  to  be  taken  account  of,  it  aeems  to  us  clearly  to  be 
the  opposite  of  what  is  here  declared.  For  freedom  and  rationality 
are  the  essential  elements  of  man  in  all  churches,  and  it  was  equally 
11* 


118 


THE  NEW  CHtTKCH  MINISTKT. 


necessary  in  the  Old  Church  as  in  the  New,  that  every  one  should  see 
truth  for  himself,  and  order  his  life  according  to  it.  There  is  given  to 
the  New  Church,  a  higher  degree  of  freedom  and  rationality  than  was 
enjoyed  by  the  Old.  But  this  has  no  tendency  to  bring  forward  and 
elevate  the  individual,  as  compared  with  the  social  man.  For  the  free- 
dom and  rationality  of  the  New  Church  is  the  freedom  and  rationality 
of  heaven,  as  its  doctrines  are  the  doctrines  of  heaven.  And  if  we 
contemplate  for  a  moment  the  state  of  a  heavenly  society  in  this  respect, 
we  shall  see  that  the  perfection  of  the  individual  does  not  consist  in  his 
being  elevated  as  an  individual,  or  apart  from  the  society  of  which  he 
is  a  member,  but  in  the  closeness  of  his  union  with  the  other  members. 
As  the  society  becomes  more  and  more  perfect,  which  is  effected  by 
the  addition  of  new  members,  who  come  into  their  respective  places,  as 
it  were  in  the  interstices  of  the  body  not  yet  filled  out,  there  is  no  ten- 
dency to  make  themselves  or  others  more  prominent  as  individuals,  but 
to  cause  all  to  be  more  united  as  one  man." — P.  175. 

Here  tlie  whole  force  of  the  reasoning  ]-ests  upon  the 
assumption  that  the  more  full  and  perfect  development 
of  the  individual  man  is  inconsistent  with  his  relation  to 
the  integrity  of  the  social  man  as  formed  after  the  model 
of  the  heavenly  societies.  In  this  respect  he  has  not  the 
happiness  to  agree  with  Swedenborg,  who,  after  saying 
that  "  a  one  does  not  exist  without  a  form,  but  that  the 
form  itself  makes  a  one,"  goes  on  to  remark  : — 

"  That  the  form  makes  a  one  so  much  the  more  perfectly  in  proportion 
as  the  things  which  enter  into  it  ore  distinct  from  each  other,  and  never- 
theless united.  This  is  comprehended  with  difficulty  unless  the  under- 
standing be  elevated,  because  there  is  an  appearance  that  form  cannot 
make  a  one  except  when  there  is  a  similarity  in  the  things  which 
constitute  it.  On  this  subject  I  have  fi-equently  conversed  with  the 
angels,  who  said  that  this  is  an  arcanum,  which  the  wise  among  them 
could  perceive  clearly,  but  the  less  wise  obscurely :  that  nevertheless 
it  is  a  truth,  that  a  form  is  so  much  the  more  perfect  in  proportion  as 
the  things  which  constitute  it  are  distinct  from  each  other,  but  still 
united  in  a  particular  manner.  They  confirmed  this  by  reference  to 
the  societies  in  the  heavens,  which,  taken  together,  constitute  the  form 
of  heaven  ;  and  to  the  angels  of  each  society,  of  which  it  may  be  af- 
firmed that,  the  more  everi/  individual  has  a  distinct  identity  of  character, 
in  which  he  freely  acts,  and  thus  loves  his  associates  from  himself  or 
from  his  own  affection,  the  more  perfect  is  the  form  of  the  society. 
They  also  illustrated  it  by  the  marriage  of  goodness  and  truth,  which, 
the  more  distinctly  they  are  two,  can  more  perfectly  form  a  one  ; 
and,  in  like  manner,  by  love  and  wisdom ;  showing  that  what  is  indis- 


THE  liEW  CHUKCH  MINISTRY. 


119 


tinct  is  confused,  -whence  results  all  imperfection  of  form." — Divine 
Providence,  n.  4,  5. 

Of  course  oi;r  reviewer  will  say  that  he  does  not  ques- 
tion this  in  the  least ;  that  it  is  precisely  his  own  view  of 
the  matter,  and  that  he  objects  to  our  view  because  it 
does  not  harmonize  with  this.  But  wherein  ?  Why  are 
we  represented  as  going  counter  to  great  principles 
taught  in  the  New  Church,  when  the  points  of  contra- 
riety are  not  distinctly  shown  ?  To  this  he  has  nothing 
to  reply,  but  that  "  the  perfection  of  the  individual  does 
not  consist  in  his  being  elevated  as  an  individual,  or 
apart  from  the  society  m  which  he  is  a  memher^  but  in 
the  closeness  of  his  union  with  the  other  members."  So 
also  in  the  succeeding  paragraph,  after  atBrming  that 
there  is  one  particular  part  in  the  society  which  every 
member  fills  alone  and  exclusively,  he  adds,  "  this  is  far 
from  making  him  prominent,  or  bringing  him  forward  as 
an  individual,  or  causing  himto  he  independent  of  others?'' 
Here  are  conditions  annexed  which  our  positions  know 
nothing  of,  and  for  which,  of  course,  they  are  not  respon- 
sible. "We  have  advanced  no  theory  of  individualism 
which  conflicts  with  the  closest  relation  to  the  collective 
man.  On  the  principle  above  quoted  from  Swedenborg, 
that  the  perfection  of  the  whole  depends  upon  the  degree 
of  distinctness  with  which  the  parts  pronounce  them- 
selves, the  two  things  are  perfectly  consistent  with  each 
other.  Our  friend  has  therefore  launched  out  into  a 
train  of  discourse  very  sound  and  edifying  in  itself,  but 
very  far  from  having  any  special  relation  to  aught  that 
we  have  affirmed  in  our  remarks. 

G.  B. 


NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND'  GOVERNMENT. 


BY   REV.    A.  E.  FORD. 

[N^  C.  Rcpop.,  Julj',  1850.] 

It  is  designed,  in  the  present  number,  to  advocate  a  Geiieral  Conven- 
tion, and  to  advocate  it  from  tlie  proper  constitution  of  tlie  ministry. 
But,  as  the  rightful  existence  of  the  ministry  as  a  class  distinct  from  the 
laity  has  been  called  in  question,  this  point  must  first  engage  our  atten- 
tion. It  is  a  wearisome  task  to  be  laying  foundations  over  again,  but 
when  that  which  has  been  settled,  both  in  the  first  Christian  Church 
and  the  New  Church  of  the  Lord,  is  treated  as  the  error  of  ages,  we 
have  no  choice  left  us.  (a) 

A  ministry  distinct  from  the  laity  is  plainly  to  be  read  in  the  New 
Testament ;  it  existed  in  the  times  immediately  succeeding  the  Apos- 
tolic age,  and  was  almost  universal  through  every  period  of  the  first 
Christian  Church  to  its  close.(i')  It  is  plain  that  the  Lord  during  His 
life  in  the  world  brought  the  Apostles  into  a  peculiar  relation  with 
Himself,  one  whereby  they  were  prepared  to  become  teachers  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine,— that  He  commissioned  them,  at  his  ascension,  to  preach 
and  baptize — that,  after  His  ascension,  they  actually  fulfilled  this 
office — that  they  exercised  the  power  of  ordering  the  external  affairs 
of  the  Churches — that,  among  other  things,  they  appointed  "  Presby- 
ters "  who  were  a  teaching  class  -  and  that  "  Deacons  "  are  mentioned 
in  the  Epistles  in  a  way  strongly  favoring  the  idea  that  they  had  the 
same  function  with  presbyters  in  a  subordidate  degree.  That  Poly- 
carp,  the  disciple  of  John,  was  the  "  Bishop  "  of  Smyrna,  that  ClemcDS 
(probably  the  companion  of  Paul)  was  the  "  Bishop  "  of  Kome,  and 
that  Ireuaeus  was  the  "  Bishop  "  of  Lyons,  are  among  the  undisputed 
facts  of  ecclesiastical  history— and  whatever  sense  may  be  attributed 
to  the  word  "  Bishop,"  it  bore,  undeniably,  at  that  period,  the  sense  of 
a  permanent  functionary  in  teaching  and  admistering  the  things  of 
public  worship.  That  there  was  a  clergy,  distinct  from  the  laity,  in 
three  orders,  called  bishops,  priests,  and  deacons,  is  as  certain,  in  the 
year  1850,  as  that  there  is  a  clergy,  consisting  of  these  grades,  with  the 
superaddition  of  Archbishops,  Cardinals,  and  a  Pope,  in  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church  of  the  present  day.  Now,  even  setting  aside  the 
Scriptural  part  of  this  argument,  the  position  which  Eusebius  has 
taken,  and  in  which  the  esteemed  Editor  of  the  Repository  has  joined 
him,  has  against  it  the  heavy  presumption,  that  a  thing  so  enormous 
(in  their  account)  as  the  distinction  of  clergy  and  laity  should  have 
originated  in  very  contact  with  the  Apostles.  The  universal  consent 
of  the  first  Christian  Church  also  lies  against  it — and  if  it  should  be 


NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  121 


alleged,  that  that  Church,  its  great  abuses  in  the  matter  considered,  is 
but  a  poor  commentary  on  the  principle  contended  for,  it  is  to  be  re- 
membered that  the  abolition  of  the  clerical  order  has  a  jet  more  dis- 
creditable patronage,  it  having  found  favor  only  with  some  of  the  en- 
thusiastic sects  of  that  church — its  very  worst  portions,  (c) 

With  this  passing  notice  of  the  Scriptural  argument  confirmed  by 
ecclesiastical  history,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  some  of  the  respective 
grounds  on  which  the  distinction  between  the  clergy  and  the  laity  may 
be  made  to  rest. 

It  rests  on  use  as  its  true,  and  indeed,  sacred  foundation.  If  we  look 
at  the  very  nature  of  a  Christian  Church,  we  shall  perceive,  that  it 
implies  instruction. (rf)  Men  are  gathered  together  into  a  church,  iu 
order  that  in  it  and  through  it,  as  an  instrument,  they  may  be  prepared 
for  heaven.  This  preparation  is  to  be  made,  in  the  first  instance,  by 
acquiring  truths,  and  then  by  living  according  to  them.  We  cannot 
have  these  truths  by  intuition,  like  the  men  of  the  most  ancient  Church. 
Nor  by  revelation,  like  the  men  of  other  earths  in  the  universe.  It 
remains,  therefore,  that  we  learn  them  by  the  external  way.  This 
learning,  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that 
men  must  be  ministers  of  use  to  one  another,  demands  a  medium  of  in- 
struction— and,  in  accordance  with  another  of  its  laws,  the  law  that  we 
must  be  led  by  delights — this  instruction  will  fall  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  have  a  love  for  it  in  the  will,  a  capacity  for  it  in  the  intel- 
lect, and  qualifications  for  it  by  study.  Thus  far,  it  may  be  said  that 
there  is  no  dispute  between  the  two  sides  of  the  present  question,  those 
who  advocate  a  perfect  spontaneity  in  the  things  of  the  clerical  func- 
tion not  supposing  that  all  would  avail  themselves  of  their  inherent 
i-ight  to  be  priests.  It  will  be  well,  therefore,  to  turn  to  points  on 
which  there  is  a  diversity  of  views.    Three  of  these  may  be  noticed. 

1.  The  first  is,  authorized  introduction  into  the  ministry  as  contra- 
distinguished from  self -introduction.  Shall  the  ministerial  function  be 
something  left  in  the  midst,  as  it  were,  and  open  to  every  one  who 
chooses  to  occupy  it  ?  May  every  one,  making  himself  the  judge  of 
his  own  qualifications,  say :  "  I  feel  myself  called  to  this  use  :  I  have 
an  inherent  right  to  it.  I  admit  no  power  on  earth  to  abridge  me  in 
the  exercise  of  this  right,"  and  thereupon  proceed  to  preach  and  ad- 
minister the  sacraments.  It  seems  to  some  that,  if  this  question  is  set- 
tled in  the  affirmative  in  the  church,  an  admirable  state  of  things,  as 
regards  liberty,  will  result,  and  that  usurpation  and  dissension  will  have 
their  very  roots  pulled  up  among  us.  But  cool  reason  has  its  doubts 
on  this  matter.  If  the  gates  of  the  ministry  are  thus  thrown  open  to 
all,  with  no  guard  at  them  on  the  part  of  the  general  Church,  it  is 
morally  certain  that  many  will  enter  who  will  be  defective  in  capacity, 
in  learning,  and  in  civil  and  moral  character. (e)  The  clerical  function 
will  be  taken  up  from  evil  as  well  as  good  delight ;  it  will  be  used  as 
the  mere  means  of  livelihood — as  a  make-shift,  while  the  occupant  pre- 
pares for  the  medical  or  some  other  profession  ;  it  will  be  a  kind  of 
sewer  to  catch  those  whom  school-teaching,  and  mercantile  life,  and 


122     NEW  cnuRcir  organization  and  government. 


the  legal  profession,  have  purged  out  of  their  ranks.  But  let  us  look 
only  at  the  effect  of  this  arrangement  on  the  intelligence  of  the  minis- 
try. The  majority  of  its  members,  it  will  be  safe  to  say,  will  be  with- 
out skill  in  the  original  tongues  in  which  the  Word  is  written,  and 
without  the  general  cultivation  which  is  essential  to  respectability. 
They  will  be  making  constant  mistakes,  which  tlie  more  intelligent  of 
their  hearers  can  see  through,  and  exposing  ignorance  at  which  the 
more -light-minded  among  them  will  laugh.  "The  consequences  will  be 
unhappy,  for  respect  is  an  element  in  the  feeling  with  which  a  teacher 
must  be  regarded,  no  matter  what  his  subject,  if  he  is  to  teach  with 
effect.  We  have  examples  of  both,  a  Icp.i  iicd  and  an  unlearned  minis- 
try, before  our  eyes,  of  religious  bodies  wliCre  the  teachers  and  the 
taught  pride  themselves  upon  their  scorn  of  intellectual  preparation  for 
the  ministry,  and  of  others  in  which  learning  is  prized  and  cultivated. 
We  can  make  ourselves,  in  point  of  respectability,  like  the  one  or  the 
other,  at  our  option,  and  we  shall  be  making  our  choice,  in  deciding 
whether  we  will  recognize  any  one  who  comes  to  us  offering  to  take 
charge  of  our  spiritual  instruction,  on  the  simple  ground  that  he  feels 
an  impulse  so  to  do,  or  whether  we  will  require  of  him,  besides,  that 
the  Church,  as  well  as  himself,  shall  have  judged  of  his  fitness,  and 
stamped  his  vocation  with  her  impress.(/) 

The  other  side  replies  to  this  argument,  of  course,  that  each  congre- 
gation, or  society,  can  best  judge  of  what,  in  a  minister,  suits  it.  This 
is  true  ;  but  societies  can  use  this  right  either  in  a  selfish  manner,  or, 
looking  to  the  general  good.  A  society  cannot  "  live  to  itself,"  any 
more  than  a  man  ;  all  its  actions,  usages,  and  measures  go  abroad  in 
effects  on  the  general  church.  If  it  recognizes  an  unfit  man  as  a  minis- 
ter, it  so  far  discredits  the  ministry  in  general,  compromises  the  res- 
pectability of  the  New  Church,  obliges  neighboring  societies  to  put 
up  with  his  lack  of  capacity,  vulgarity,  or  immorality,  if  these  are  his 
traits,  or  else,  at  the  risk  of  exciting  bad  feeling,  to  refuse  his  services. 
It  is  for  this,  among  other  reasons,  that  societies  should  combine  to- 
gether and  determine  by  rule,  what  qualifications  are  desirable  for  en- 
trance into  the  ministry  in  general,  while  they  reserve  to  themselves  the 
right  of  selecting,  from  this  general  body,  those  adapted  for  themselves 
in  particular.  Such  a  step,  if  it  involves  any  sacrifice  of  rights  on  the 
part  of  societies,  would  be  a  sacrifice  from  a  noble  motive.  Who  shall 
forbid  this  pervading  of  mutual  regard  ?  The  opposite  argument  steps 
in  and  binds  societies  to  selfishness,  bidding  them  look  at  their  minis- 
ter, each,  as  one  in  whom  it  alone  is  interested,  when,  in  fact,  the  mi- 
nistry is  a  public  office,  and  the  peace  and  respectability  of  the  church 
at  large  is  involved  by  ev(U'y  one  of  their  recognitions.  Moreover,  as 
regards  this  matter  of  recognition,  no  society  can  get  along  with  recog- 
nizing onh/  the  minister  or'ministcrs  that  officiate  to  it.  The  indispen- 
sable commerce  of  societies  among  themselves  requires  that  they  recog- 
nize one  another's  ministers.  Shall  this  recognition  or  non-recognition 
of  other  ministers  be  made  by  special  acts,  or  by  a  general  arrangement 
among  themselves  ?    Manifestly  the  latter  is  the  preferable  way.(g) 


NEW  CnUKCII  ORGANIZATION  AND  G0VERN5IENT.  123 

A  remark  about  this  whole  matter  of  deducing  ecclesiastical  order 
from  the  rights  of  societies  will  be  in  place  here.  It  is  a  selfish  spirit 
that  is  thus  inculcated  upon  societies.  Swedeuborg,  somewhere  in  the 
Spiritual  Diary,  has  made  the  observation  that  jurists  have  erred  in 
deducing  the  maxims  of  municipal  and  international .  law  from  the 
rights  of  the  parties,  and  that  they  should  have  drawn  them  from  mu- 
tual charity.  This  observation,  so  striking  in  its  first  application,  is 
equally  so  as  regards  the  mutual  intcrcourhe  of  societies. 

2.  The  second  point  of  difference  will  be  the  ordination  of  the  clergy 
by  the  clergy.  One  looks  in  vain  over  the  articles  of  Eusebius  and  the 
remarks  of  the  Editor  for  an  allowance  of  ordination.  It  lays  in  their 
very  path,  but  they  have  got  by  it  without  notice.  One  is  compelled 
to  feel  that,  if  they  recognize  it  at  all,  it  is  with  a  most  suspicious  and 
backward  acknowledgment.  However  this  may  be,  of  ordination  by 
the  clergy  there  is  the  following  plain  rejection  :  "  By  the  distinct  order 
or  office  of  the  clergy  in  the  church,  we  mean  an  order  which  perpetuates 
itself  hj  some  special  form  of  ordination  or  inauguration,  wherein  the 
body  of  the  church  or  the  laity,  as  they  are  termed,  have  no  share." 
That  such  an  order  of  men,  whether  called  priests,  clergymen,  or  minis- 
ters, was  designed  to  exist  in  the  New  Church  is  what  we  venture  to 
deny.  That  to  the  contrary  of  this,  ordination,  by  seme  hands,  is  to  be 
used  in  the  New  Church,  we  have  the  explicit  authority  of  Sweden- 
borg.  Canons  of  N.  C.  iv.  7  :  "  That  the  clergy,  because  they  are  to 
teach  doctrine  from  the  Word  concerning  the  Lord,  and  concerning 
redemption  and  salvation  from  Him,  arc  to  be  inaugurated  by  the 
covenant  (or  promise,  sponseoncm)  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  by  their  re- 
presentation of  its  translation  ;  but  that  it  is  received  by  the  clergy  ac- 
cording to  the  faith  of  their  life."  Now,  shall  the  right  thus  explicitly 
recognized  by  Swedenborg  be  administered  by  the  clergy,  tli;.t  is,  by 
those  who  have  already  been  inaugurated,  or  by  those  who  have  uot?(/() 
All  congruily  and  propriety  say,  by  the  former.  It  would  be  a  strange 
spectacle,  at  an  inauguration,  that  these  inaugurated  for  the  very  pur- 
pose of  conducting  public  religious  services,  should  be  bid  to  stand 
aside,  while  some  one  uninauguratcd,  unused  to  the  work,  and  probably 
unskillful  in  it,  should  read  the  necessary  services,  make  the  prayers, 
and  perform  the  representative  of  translation.  The  only  reason 
pleaded  for  this  indecorum  in  one  point  of  view,  and  in  another,  this 
violation  of  the  very  principle  of  ordination  by  giving  a  function  allied 
to  teaching  to  the  uninauguratcd,  is,  that  certain  false  doctrines  have 
been  associated  with  this  rite  in  the  Old  Church.  But  this  reason  be- 
comes of  no  weight,  the  moment  it  is  known  that  these  doctrines  are 
held  in  abhorrence,  not  more  by  the  laity  than  by  the  clergy,  among 
us.(/0 

But  if  the  clergy  ordain  the  clergy,  does  this  make  them  a  "  self-per- 
petuating order  2"  To  a  certain  extent  it  would,  perhaps,  if  they  should 
assume  this  authority  ;  but,  if  it  is  conferred  upon  them,  by  the  rules  of 
the  Church,  which,  as  has  been  shown,  have  their  origin  with  the  laity, 
then  any  one  can  see  that  it  does  not.   Neither  are  they  a  self-perpe- 


124    NEW  church;  okoanization  and  government. 


tuatiug  order,"  uuless,  besides  tbe  power  of  ordaining,  they  Lave  the 
power  of  appointing  themselves — but,  iu  this  essential  article,  which  is 
well  distinguished  in  Mr.  Prescott's  letter  from  ordination,  they  are 
now  associated  with  the  laity — and  no  one  wishes  it  to  be  otherwise. (?') 

3.  The  third  point  of  difference  will  lie  in  the  position,  that  the  func- 
tions of  teaching  publidij  and  administering  the  Sacraments  should  be 
appropriated  to  the  clergy. (j)  My  friendly  opponents  would  have  these 
functions  free  to  all,  without  ordination.  One  of  them  says  :  "  It  is 
not  unusual  to  hear  it  said,  that  persons  not  duly  inducted  should  not 
be  allowed  to  officiate  in  the  ministry.  But  who  is  authorized  to  pre- 
vent them,  and  whence  came  the  power  ?  "  But,  that  certain  functions 
should  be  restricted  to  the  clergy,  is  plain  from  the  nature  of  ordina- 
tion.(^)  It  is  originally  an  inauguration,  that  is,  a  badge  of  entrance 
— sometimes  into  a  society,  sometimes  into  a  college  (then  called  ma- 
triculation), sometimes  into  an  office  in  the  state — and,  in  every  case, 
the  entrance  is  into  something  peculiar  and  appropriated,  not  into  some- 
thing that  was  open  to  the  person  entering  before  the  ceremony,  and 
which  he  is  to  hold  in  common  with  all  who  are  without  this  badge 
afterwards.  Ordination  would  be  the  merest  nullity,  regarded  as  an 
inauguration,  if  the  recipient  might  have  officiated  without  it  himself, 
and  all  others  can  enter  into  his  functions  without  it  also.  Would  such 
an  empty  trifle  be  recognized  among  the  canons  of  the  New  Church  ? 
Inauguration  is  entrance  into  something  segregated  or  secluded ;  but 
this  would  be  entrance,  so  to  speak,  into  all  "  out  o'  doors."(/) 

The  point  argued  for  is  plain,  also,  from  the  nature  of  the  office — a  term 
which  Swedenborg  applies  to  the  priesthood.  We  can  imagine  a  state 
of  the  Church  in  which  clerical  functions  should  be  exercised  indiscri- 
minately by  all,  and  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  showing,  in  the 
words  of  the  Editor,  that,  in  this  case,  there  would  be  "  a  distinction  in 
use  which  does  not  amount  to  a  distinction  in  office,  or  rather  in  official 
order  and  caste."  But  he  is  really  called  upon  to  show  that,  when  the 
clerical  functions  have  been  segregated,  as  it  were,  and  constituted  into 
an  "  office,"  that  office,  and  consequently  they  who  fill  it,  are  not  set 
apart  by  limits.  There  would  be  no  "  office  "  of  the  Priesthood,  in  the 
state  of  things  advocated  by  Eusebius,  any  more  than  in  a  community, 
where  every  man  acted,  as  occasion  called,  as  arbiter  in  disputes,  there 
would  be  "  the  office  "  of  a  Judge.  No  office  exists  until  functions, 
that  were  before  in  common,  are  gathered  up  and  limited  to  a  certain 
individual  or  class.  Now  he  who  fills  the  office  of  the  priesthood  is  a 
clerical  officer,  as  he  who  fills  an  office  in  the  administration  of  justice, 
is  a  judicial  officer — and  this  fact  as  much  implies,  that,  for  reasons  of 
public  utility,  his  functions  shall  not  lie  open  to  the  first  occupant  who 
chooses  to  make  himself  such,  as  that  those  of  the  Judge  should  not. 
If  this  parallel  is  denied,  it  must  be  shown  that  what  is  manifestly  a  law 
of  divine  order,  in  civil  government,  is  a  law  of  tyranny  in  ecclesiastical 
government. 

As  regards  "  the  authority  to  prevent  "  all  from  acting  as  ministers 
indiscriminately,  which  is  demanded  in  the  extract  given  above,  it  lies 


NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


125 


in  the  right  of  every  society  to  recognize  its  religious  teachers  (which, 
of  course,  involves  the  right  to  refuse  recognition  to  the  unfit),  which 
is  contended  for  on  the  other  side.  It  is  this  very  right,  exercised  by 
societies  in  combination. (m)  By  what  authority,  it  might  be  asked, 
imitating  the  question  above  quoted,  shall  any  one  say  to  societies  : 
"  You  may  accept  or  refuse  whom  you  please  for  your  religious  teachers, 
provided  you  act  separately,  but  you  shall  not  combine  into  a  body, 
and  prescribe,  in  the  body  you  then  form,  whom  you  will  and  will  not 
accept."(n) 

The  above  arguments  for  appropriating  the  functions  of  the  Ministry 
to  the  clerical  order  are  confirmed  by  Swedenborg.  How  could  the 
point  under  consideration,  so  far  as  teaching  is  concerned,  be  asserted 
more  luminously  than  in  the  words  which  follow  : — "  Good  may  be  in- 
sinuated into  another  by  every  one  in  the  country,  but  not  truth,  ex- 
cept by  those  who  are  teaching  ministers.  If  others  insinuate  truth,  it 
gives  birth  to  heresies,  and  the  Church  is  disturbed  and  rent  asunder." 
—A.  C.  6822.(0) 

That  the  same  is  true  of  the  sacraments  appears  from  the  Canons, 
C.  4,  8,  9,—"  That  the  Divine  (Proceeding),  which  is  understood  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  proceeds  from  the  Lord  through  the  clergy  to  the 
laity,  by  preachings,  according  to  the  reception  of  the  doctrine  of  truth 
thence  derived.  And  also  by  the  sacrament  of  the  Holy  Supper  accord- 
ing to  repentance  before  receiving  it."  The  heading  up  of  the  whole 
chapter  is  as  follows  :  "  That  hence  [the  Divine  proceeding  passes] 
through  men  to  men,  and,  in  the  Church,  chiefly  from  the  clergy  to  the 
laity."{p) 

To  these  arguments  for  the  clergy  as  a  distinct  class  might  be  added 
one  from  the  innumerable  collisions  and  irregularities  by  which  the 
Church,  if  it  were  so  unwise  as  to  make  the  experiment  urged  upon  it, 
would  be  "  taught  as  with  thorns  "  that  law  is  not  tyranny,  nor  the  un- 
bounded liberty  of  individuals,  freedom.  Such  confusions  can  be  easily 
foreseen,  and  while  the  fear  of  them  is  upon  us,  we  cannot  feel  re-assured 
by  such  assertions,  as  those  contained  in  the  following  words  :  "  As  to 
heretical  or  incompetent  ministers,  and  the  proper  mode  of  dealing  with 
them,  this,  in  an  orderly  state  of  the  Church,  will  take  care  of  itself." 
There  are  remarkable  analogies  between  the  "  no  human  priesthood," 
sentiments  and  the  "  no  human  government "  ones.  The  assertion  of 
both,  that  no  disorders  will  result  from  the  attempt  to  realise  theories, 
is  very  confident,  but  very  destitute  of  rational  guarantees.  (9) 

The  above  positions  might  be  supported  by  more  numerous  citations 
from  the  writings  of  the  Church  ;  but  space  does  not  admit  of  this,  and 
scarcely  of  the  single  observation  which  we  will  here  subjoin,  with  re- 
gard to  the  construction  of  such  passages.  There  are  two  ways  of  deal- 
ing with  them.  In  the  first,  we  collect  them  together  andsubmi#hem 
to  the  view  of  the  mind,  not  only  singly,  but  as  a  whole,  which  they 
make  by  combining  together.  We  suffer  one  to  cast  light  on  another. 
We  suffer  them  to  develope  and  support  each  other  mutually,  and  then 
gather  the  import  of  each  passage  according  to  the  general  sense  of  the 
12 


126      NEW  CHUECIl  OKGANIZATION  AND  GOVEKNMENT. 


whole.  In  the  second  way,  we  take  each  passage  siuglj',  and  apply  to 
it  an  ing-enioiis  criticism  by  which  its  more  obvious  meaning  is  made 
doubtful,  and  thcu  judge  the  meaning  of  the  whole  to  be  the  sum  of  the 
senses  yielded  by  this  isolating  process.  When  we  gather  into  one 
view  all  that  Swedenborg  has  said  on  the  necessity  of  "  govermeut  in 
the  Church"  as  well  as  in  the  State,  that  there  must  be  "  governors  " 
in  it  who  are  "  priests  " — what  he  has  said  resiiccting  "  the  clergy  and 
the  laity,"  manifestly  distinguishing  Ihcm,  and  showing  what  the  for- 
mer must  do  and  not  do — respecting  their  '■  inauguration  " — respecting 
the  danger  of  heresy  when  others  are  allowed  to  teach— respecting  the 
"  honor  and  dignity  "  which  are  to  be  shown  them,  and  the  principles 
on  which  they  may  accept  them — and  respecting  the  Trine  in  which 
they  are  to  be  constituted—  and  then  contemplate  such  opinions  as  are 
drawn  from  these  passages  by  Eusebius,  supported  by  the  Editor  ;  wc 
cannot  help  feeling,  that,  with  the  most  heartfelt  reverence  for  Swcdeu- 
borg's  instructions  in  higher  matters,  they  are,  in  these  minor  ones,  by 
the  isolating  process  above  described,  unconsciously  engaged  in  contra- 
dicting their  teacher,  while  they  seem  to  themselves  only  construing 
him  in  a  sound  sense.()  ) 

The  grounds  on  which  that  sense  of  these  passages  which  would 
strike  most  as  the  fair  one  is  eliminated,  and  another  one  put  in  its 
place,  are  three — which  will  now  be  noticed  in  succession. 

1.  Ecclesiastical  domination.  The  adverse  argument  everywhere 
goes  on  the  supposition,  that  the  love  of  dominion  produced  the  distinc- 
tion between  clergy  and  laity,  and  the  ordination  of  the  clergy  by  the 
clergy.  It  even  asserts  one  of  these  to  be  "  the  proton  j'seudos,  the 
fundamental  falsity of  the  love  of  dominion.  But  the  assertion  is  not 
true,  historically  ;  the  clergy  as  a  distinct  bcdy,  dates  itself  far  back 
of  the  rise  of  that  spirit  in  the  Church,  (s)  These  external  institutions 
and  forms  became  hurtful  only  when  the  doctrine  of  the  keys,  that  of 
absolution,  and  that  of  the  apostolic  succession  were  added  to  them. 
These  doctrines  were  as  a  hand  put  forth  by  the  love  of  dominion,  by 
which  it  seized  upon  a  legitimate  and  useful  implement,  and  turned  it 
to  most  mischievous  uses.(f)  Do  away  with  those  doctrines— (and 
surely  my  friendly  opponents  will  allow  that  they  are  held  in  abhor- 
rence among  us) — and  the  separate  existence  of  the  clergy  will  be  like 
an  axe  taken  from  the  grasp  of  a  madman,  and  given  to  a  workman  in 
his  right  senses,  who  immediately  employs  it  in  building  a  house.  Is 
it  not  a  little  external — to  indulge  in  a  friendly  retort — to  be  attribut- 
ing to  the  merest  externals  the  desolations  of  the  Babylonish  spirit  ? 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  doctrines  above  mentioned,  the  external  consti- 
tution of  the  Eoman  Church  (which,  after  all,  is  a  perversion  of  the 
or^nal  form  of  the  ministry)  would  have  been  only  a  highly  inex- 
pe^nt  form  of  Church  government ;  it  would  have  embarrassed  charity 
and  faith,  but  could  never  have  changed  them  into  their  opposites.(M) 

2.  The  individual  man  is  a  Church.  Strange  that  the  general  prin- 
ciple relied  upon  for  calling  Swedeuborg's  special  statements  into 
doubt  {Rep.  p.  227)  should  give  them  a  decided  support.    Carry  out 


NEW  CHURCH  oliGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  127 


the  analogy  correctly,  and  this  will  be  apparent.  The  man  is  composed 
of  goods  and  truths,  two  perfectly  distinct  things ;  priests  correspond, 
in  the  collective  church,  with  goods,  and  the  laity  consequently  with 
truths,  and  as  goods  and  truths  arc  distinct,  the  clergy  and  laity  must 
be  distinct  also.  If  every  man  in  the  collective  church  were  a  priest, 
then  the  individual  man  could  consist  of  nothing  but  goods. (v)  On 
the  subject  of  every  man  being  a  priest,  the  following  passage  from  the 
Diary,  No.  4904,  has  a  bearing  :  "  There  were  also  certain  ones  [fall- 
ing from  heaven]  who  rejected  the  priestly  function — saying  that  the 
priesthood  was  universal,  thus  with  all."  This  passage  which  will  be 
found  (with  remarks  by  the  Editor)  in  a  former  number  of  the  Eeposi- 
tory,  is  reproduced  here  for  the  purpose  of  remarking,  that,  by  obvious 
implication,  "  rejecting  the  priestly  function  "  (or  ofBce;)  is  the  equiva- 
lent of  "  saying  that  the  priesthood  is  universal,  and  with  all."  In  the 
general  can  any  one  believe  that  Swedenborg  would  mention,  in  this 
way,  an  important  particular  of  New  Church  order,  as  the  priesthood 
of  all  is  asserted  by  the  other  side  to  be.(M') 

3.  Societies  are  prior  to  the  ministry  and  establish  it.  "  The  minis- 
try of  a  society  antedates  that  of  an  order  of  the  clergy  pertaining  to 
the  Church  at  large."  This  argument  proves  something  only  by  con- 
founding the  forming  stage  of  the  Church  as  to  government,  with  its 
mature  stage.  All  things  that  grow  have  these  two  stages,  and  the 
order  of  operation  in  the  last  is  very  different  from  that  which  obtains 
in  the  first.  Take  for  example  the  earth  ;  its  first  state  is  that  of  the 
mineral  kingdom,  which  kingdom  at  first  receives  influx  immediately 
through  heaven  ;  but  when  the  two  superior  kingdoms  are  formed,  with 
man  at  their  head,  the  influx  into  that  kingdom  is  thenceforth  through 
them.  So  with  the  mind  of  man  itself,  the  influx  of  good  is,  at  first, 
into  the  affection  of  sciences  in  the  external,  whereby  the  rational  is 
formed,  but  afterwards,  so  far  as  the  rational  is  formed,  good  flows  into 
the  affection  of  sciences  through  it.  It  is  matter  of  necessity  that  the 
first  ordination  should  be  by  the  laity,  but  it  is  vain  to  rely  upon  this 
as  proof  that  it  should  be  so  always.  If  our  country  had  been  settled 
and  organized  by  counties,  and  counties  had  afterwards  combined  into 
states,  and  states  into  the  federal  union,  would  it  be  thought  a  valid 
argument  for  taking  away  from  the  President  and  the  Senate  the  ap- 
pointment of  certain  officers,  that  officers  were  at  first  appointed  by 
counties  ?  You  cannot  govern  a  man  by  the  laws  of  embryo  life,  and 
you  should  not  make  the  church, /M//-g-)ow)i,  conform  to  the  model  of 
its  forming  stage.(x) 

if,  by  what  goe?  before,  it  has  been  sufficiently  shown  that  the  cleri- 
cal functions  are  dictated  by  use — that  none  should  enter  upon  them 
self-inducted — nor  without  ordination  by  those  personally  inaugurated 
to  the  same,  and  that  they  should  be  appropriated  to  the  clergy  for 
reasons  of  public  order,  it  is  plain  that  the  clergy  and  the  laity  ought 
to  form  distinct  classes  in  the  New  Church. 

A.  E.  F. 


128      NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


KEMARKS 

It  is  with  some  reluctauce  that  we  extend  the  space 
devoted  to  the  preceding  article  by  any  subjoined  re- 
marks of  our  own.  But  as  we  have  some  strictures  to 
offer  upon  the  positions  of  A.  E.  F.,  and  as  they  would 
lose  much  of  their  effect  by  being  presented  separate 
from  the  matter  which  occasions  them,  we  embrace  the 
present  opportunity  to  put  in  our  rejoinder.  "We  are 
conscious  of  doing  this  at  a  great  disadvantage  from  be- 
ing obliged  to  restrict  ourselves  on  several  points  to  a 
few  sentences,  when  whole  pages  would  scarcely  suffice 
to  do  justice  to  our  views. 

(a)  It  is  doubtless  a  wearisome  task  to  be  laying  foun- 
dations over  again  which  will  not  stay  laid,  arid  such 
will  necessarily  be  the  case  with  every  foundation  laid 
by  man  and  not  by  the  Lord  himself.  It  is  easy  to  say 
that  such  and  such  things  have  been  "  settled,"  and  "  set 
upon  their  own  base,"  when  a  stricter  inquisition  may 
show  that  they  have  been  built  upon  the  shifting  sand- 
banks of  falsity  instead  of  the  immovable  rock  of  truth. 
The  mere  fact  that  a  particular  institution  of  the  church 
has  long  held  its  place  unquestioned  is  no  infallible  sign 
that  it  rests  upon  a  solid  basis.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
it  may  be  among  the  old  things  which  are  to  be  dis- 
allowed and  pass  away  before  the  genius  of  the  New 
Dispensation.  In  this  case  it  will  be  in  vain  to  say 
"The  bricks  are  fallen  down,  but  we  will  build  with 
hewn  stones;  the  sycamore  trees  are  hewn  down,  but 
we  will  change  them  into  cedars."  Foundations  of  all 
sorts  are  the  very  things  which  New  Church  principles 
most  sternly  interrogate. 

{b)  The  evidence  on  this  head  drawn  from  the  New 
Testament  and  from  the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  is,  in 
our  view,  of  very  conflicting  character,  and  of  very  un- 
equal authority.  In  the  mind  of  a  Newchurchman  it  is 
of  very  little  consequence  to  the  argument  that  the  dis- 
tinction between  clergy  and  laity  "  existed  in  the  times 


NEW  OnUKCH  ORGANIZATIOy  AND  GOVERNMENT  129 


immediately  succeeding  the  apostolic  age."  The  leaveu 
of  Antichrist  began  to  work  even  in  the  life-time  of  the 
apostles,  and  it  is  not  at  all  wonderful  that  the  clergy,  fol- 
lowing in  the  wake  of  Diotrephes,  should  have  begun  to 
erect  themselves  into  a  separate  caste  at  the  early  period 
alluded  to.  The  love  of  pre-eminence  easily  grafts  itself 
upon  the  function  of  teaching,  and  the  history  of  the  first 
Christian  church  from  the  outset  is  a  running  commen- 
tary upon  the  truth  of  the  intimation.  The  advocates  of 
church  power  and  clerical  prerogative  are  very  prone  to 
rest  the  argument  rather  on  the  patristic  than  the  scrip- 
tural basis,  and  the  words  of  Ignatius,  Clemens,  Tertul- 
lian,  and  the  rest  are,  on  the  Episcopal  theory,  for  in- 
stance, all  gold  and  precious  stones,  while  on  the  ISTew 
Church  theory  they  are  hay  and  stubble,  dirt  and  trash. 
It  is  the  "Word  of  the  Lord  only  and  its  illumined  ex- 
position that  determine  for  us  every  thing  pertaining  to 
the  Church,  and  we  have  for  ourselves  sought  unto  these 
oracles  in  vain  to  find  an  adequate  warrant  for  the  past 
and  present  order  of  things  ecclesiastic  which  has  i^ve- 
vailed  throughout  the  Christain  world.  But  upon  this 
head  we  cannot  now  enlarge.  We  are  prepared,  how- 
ever, to  discuss  the  Scriptural  argument  whenever  it 
shall  be  fairly  called  for. 

(c)  "We  could  hardly  have  anticipated  that  an  argument, 
from  a  JSTew  Church  pen,  in  behalf  of  the  distinction  be- 
tween clergy  and  laity,  should  have  been  so  constructed 
as  to  recognize  as  well  founded,  the  trinal  array  of 
Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons.  If  such  an  argument  is 
valid  against  the  denial  of  the  existence  of  the  clergy  as 
a  distinct  class,  why  is  it  nut  valid  in  support  of  such  a 
gradation  as  an  actual  feature  of  the  New  Church  ?  We 
do  not  see  but  that  according  to  A.  E.  F.  the  same  Scrip- 
tural proof  which  establishes  the  fact  of  the  distinction, 
establishes  also  the  duty  of  its  observance ;  or,  in  other 
words,  that  the  Church  is  recreant  to  its  Lord  if  it  do  not 
arrange  its  ministry  according  to  the  Episcopal  model. 
In  tliis  case  we  shall  content  ourselves  by  turning  over 
our  correspondent  to  the  Presbyterians  and  Indepen- 


130       NEW  CHUKCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


dents  who  Lave  on  this  head  so  successfully  entered  the 
lists  with  the  Papists  and  Prelatists.  It  is  a  controversy 
with  which  the  Newchurchman  has  nothing  to  do  but  to 
stand  aloof  from  it.  "  That  there  was  a  clergy  distinct 
from  the  laity,  in  three  orders,  called  bishops,  priests, 
and  deacons,  is  as  certain  in  the  year  150,  as  that  there 
is  a  clergy  consisting  of  these  grades,  with  the  superad- 
dition  of  Archbishops,  Cardinals,  and  a  Pope,  in  the 
Eoman  Catholic  Church  of  the  present  day."  Doubtless ; 
and  the  authority  for  the  one  is  just  as  good  as  that  for 
the  other;  which  is  saying  as  little  lor  either  as  can  well 
be  said. 

(fZ)  We  have  expressly  declared  that  we  recognize  a 
function  of  teaching  in  the  'New  Church.  This  function 
rests  of  course  on  a  foundation  of  use.  But  what  we 
maintain  is,  that  the  discharge  of  the  function  does  not 
necessitate  the  creation  of  a  distinct  order  or  caste  in  the 
Church,  exclusively  and  pre-eminently  set  apart  to  it, 
and  forming,  as  it  were,  a  separate  plane  above  that  of 
the  laity.  The  ability  to  teach  in  spiritual  things  de- 
pends upon  the  degree  of  illumination  in  the  teacher,  and 
this  again  upon  the  degree  to  which  he  is  in  good  and 
truth.  But  the  being  in  good  and  truth  is  not  the  prero- 
gative of  any  one  portion  uf  the  men  of  the  church,  but 
the  duty  of  all.  It  is  what  all  are  to  aim  at,  and  yet  as 
there  will  always  be  a  diversity  of  attainment  in  this  res- 
pect, so  the  function  will  distribute  itself  accordingly.  The 
same  member  who  is  a  teacher  to  others  whose  spiritual 
state  is  below  his,  ma}'  be  at  the  same  time  a  pupil  to 
others  whose  spiritual  state  is  above  his.  The  gifts  of  all, 
however,  are  in  some  way  put  in  requisition.  Every  one 
is  to  edify  another  as  occasion  may  oifer,  yet  not  in  a 
spirit  of  arrogance  or  dictation,  but  in  a  spirit  of  humility 
and  self-subjection.  The  evil  heretofore  existing  has 
arisen  from  erecting  an  occasional  function  into  a  per- 
manent ofhce,  and  appropriating  the  performance  of  its 
duties  to  an  exclusive  and  privileged  class.  Subtle  argu- 
ments are  never  wanting  for  such  a  process,  as  one  party 
does  not  object  to  being  excused  frum  onerous  duties,  and 


NEW  CHUKCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  131 

the  Other  has  an  innate  latent  love  of  dominion  to  be 
gratified.  Between  both  the  present  order  of  things  has 
been  begotten  and  obtained  establishment  in  the  church. 
It  is  doubtless  a  perverted  order,  from  which  there  will 
eventually  be  a  recession,  but  we  do  not  advocate  its  in- 
stant abandonment.  We  are  willing  to  await  the  result 
of  a  gradual  change,  provided  a  change  shall  be  actually 
intended,  and  it  is  no  more  than  justice  to  our  sentiments 
that  they  should  not  be  charged  as  so  essentially  radical 
and  revolutionary  in  their  nature  as  to  demand  sudden 
and  violent  reforms.  On  this  head  it  is  probable  we 
shall  be  greatly  misapprehended  and  misrepresented,  but 
as  "we  know  ourselves  in  the  matter,  we  shall  abide  the 
issues  with  calmness.  It  is  not  necessary  that  wrong  im- 
pressions should  be  taken  up  in  regard  to  our  true  posi- 
tion. 

ie)  A  case  is  here  supposed  which  amounts  to  well- 
nigh  a  complete  caricature  of  the  state  of  things  for  which 
we  are  contending.  ISTo  better  evidence  of  a  man's  utter 
unfitness  for  the  function  in  question  could  be  afibrded 
than  the  spirit  which  exjjresses  itself  in  the  language 
above  put  into  the  lips  of  a  self-sufficient  aspirant  to 
ministry  in  the  Church.  ISTo  rightly  disposed  servant  of 
the  Lord  can  enter  upon  any  sphere  of  use  in  a  S])irit  of 
arrogant  assumption  or  with  a  tone  of  lofty  defiance. 
The  true  minister,  as  tlie  name  imports,  is  one  who  would 
fain  be  the  servant  of  all,  and  this  is  a  spirit  of  modesty 
and  self-distrust,  prompting  one  to  withhold  rather  than 
protrude  his  claims  to  consideration  and  deference.  As 
to  the  danger  that  may  hence  accrue  to  the  church,  from 
a  non-authorized  or  self  authorized  introduction  into  the 
ministry,  we  have  only  to  say  that  on  the  true  theory,  as 
we  apprehend  it,  of  church  order,  there  will  be  little  to  be 
feared  on  this  score,  inasmuch  as  every  society  will  select 
its  own  teachers,  upon  adequate  probation,  and  as  the 
function  is  uufeed,  its  labor  being  purely  a  labor  of  love, 
small  indeed  will  be  the  inducement  for  any  one  to  resort 
to  it  from  any  selfish  or  mercenary  motive.  On  the  score 
of  detriment  to  the  church  from  the  probable  intrusion  of 


132      NEW  CntlKCII  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


unlearned  men  as  teachers,  we  may  admit  the  force  of 
the  objection  provided  the  culture  of  the  intellect  is  to  be 
regarded  as  the  paramount  object  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry. But  it  would  seem  that  a  simple  reference  to  the 
first  principles  of  the  New  Church  would  be  sufficient  to 
correct  a  falhicy  like  this.  If  all  wisdom  is  the  form  of 
love,  and  all  truth  the  product  of  good,  the  grand  deside- 
ratuni  is  the  purification  of  tlie  will  and  its  affections. 
All  desirable  mental  enlightenment  will  follow  in  the 
train  of  a  regenerated  love.  JJhi  charitas^  ihi  claritas. 
The  influence  necessary  to  effect  this  is  not  that  of  human 
learning.  The  revelations  vouchsafed  to  the  ISTew  Church 
teach  new  lessons  respecting  the  comparative  value  of 
the  attainments  of  the  head  and  of  the  heart,  and  leave 
us  in  no  doubt  that  the  great  work  of  the  ministry  is  to 
lead  to  the  good  of  life  by  a  pathway  continually  illumi- 
nated by  the  light  of  the  genuine  doctrines  of  the  Word. 
Human  learning,  as  furnishing  ampler  vessels  for  the  in- 
flow of  divine  truth  and  good,  is  never  to  be  disparaged, 
but  we  would  fain  fortify  our  own  minds  against  the  idea 
that  the  true  standard  of  ministerial  qualification  is  a 
knowledge  of  the  original  languages  of  Scripture  or  rare 
acquisitions  in  science,  letters,  or  art.  The  kind  of  abili- 
ty to  unfold  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  "Word,  which  re- 
sults from  the  illustration  usually  granted  to  a  pure  and 
exemplary  life,  is  of  incomparably  more  use  in  the  min- 
istry than  the  most  signal  mastery  of  the  learned  tongues. 
Moderate  talents  and  attainments,  coupled  with  good 
sense  and  an  enlightened  zeal,  are  usually  the  best  guar- 
antee for  usefulness  in  the  service  of  the  Lord's  JSTew 
Church. 

{f)  The  surest  way  for  the  New  Church  to  attain  the 
respectability  which  our  correspondent  covets  for  her,  is 
to  live  up  to  and  act  fully  out  her  distinguishing  princi- 
ples. These  are  principles  of  life,  and  such  as  make 
their  appeal  to  every  individual  of  the  church  ;  and  if 
the  mass  of  receivers  honor  the  truths  they  possess,  the 
church  will  inevitably  be  respectable  and  respected,  and 
her  teachers,  as  a  general  fact,  equally  so.  "  Like  peo- 
ple, like  priest." 


KEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  133 


{g)  Every  step  in  a  discussion  like  the  present  shows 
how  difficult  it  is  to  divest  the  mind  of  its  old  concep- 
tions.   The  strictures  of  A.  E.  F.  recognize  all  along  just 
such  a  state  of  things  ecclesiastically  as  now  exists  as  a 
field  of  clerical  action.    Each  society  has  one  minister 
or  pastor,  and  as  he  is  inducted  into  the  sacred  oflice  by 
the  consecrating  act  of  his  clerical  brethren,  he  thereby 
obtains  the  seal  of  their  sanction  and  an  entree,  in  conse- 
quence, into  the  various  pulpits  in  the  connexion.  In 
this  sense  the  ofiice  is  held  to  be  ?i  public  one,  which  ren- 
ders the  occupancy  of  it  by  fit  incumbents  a  matter  of 
great  concern  to  the  general  body  of  the  Church.  But 
how  is  it  in  the  order  for  which  we  plead  ?    There  every 
society  has  a  plurality  of  teachers  according  to  its  exi- 
gencies, and  according  to  the  diversity  of  gifts  possessed 
by  its  members.    The  society  in  Boston,  for  instance, 
may  serve  as  an  example.    We  have  there  listened  to 
lectures  of  eminent  ability  and  use  delivered  from  time 
to  time  by  highly  intelligent  laymen,  who  were  every 
way  qualified  for  the  work,  and  to  whom  the  society  evi- 
dently gave  heed  with  great  delight.    We  know  of  noth- 
ing that  should  prevent  a  New  Church  Society  from  re- 
garding a  number  of  such  men  as  its  true  ministry,  who 
need  nothing  more  than  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
members  to  authorize  them  for  the  due  discharge  of  all 
the  functions  of  spiritual  teachers  and  guides.    And  if 
acknowledged  in  this  capacity  by  one  society,  why  should 
they  not  be  by  another,  should  they  perchance  visit  or 
sojourn  for  a  time  among  them  ?    They  are  men  in  good 
repute,  qualified  to  impart  instruction  or  to  kindle  affec- 
tion, and  prompted  by  a  love  of  use.    Is  there  any  rea- 
son why  they  should  not  sustain  abroad  the  same  charac- 
ter they  do  at  home  ?    Yet  they  would  not  covet  or  claim 
the  title  of  clergymen  on  this  account,  for  they  do  not,  by 
exercising  this  function,  constitute  a  distinct  order  or 
Brahminical  caste  in  the  Church.    They  are  plain  citi- 
zens, gaining  their  livelihood  by  their  several  secular  vo- 
cations in  life,  and  giving  themselves,  as  occasion  may 
serve,  to  the  spiritual  benefit  of  their  brethren,  because 


134       NEW  CHUECH  ORGAKIZATION  AND  GOVEENMENT. 


actuated  by  the  love  of  tlie  neighbor  in  one  of  its  purest 
forms.  On  the  wbole  we  do  not  perceive  that  the  above 
objection  is  a  valid  one ;  we  do  not  acknowledge  that  the 
interests  of  the  church  at  large  are  any  more  promoted 
or  protected  by  the  existing  arrangements  than  by  those 
prop)Osed.  Indeed,  the  advantage,  if  anything,  is  on  the 
side  of  the  latter  as  it  is  supposed  that  none  will  be  call- 
ed to  the  exercise  of  the  teaching  function  but  those 
who  have  been  tried  and  approved  in  that  department, 
whereas,  in  the  present  oi'der,  persons  are  introduced  into 
the  ministry  without  any  previous  preparation,  other 
than  scholastic,  and  the  various  societies  are  expected  to 
recognize  them  on  the  ground  of  the  approbation  of  their 
ordainers. 

(A)  Denying,  as  we  do,  the  legitimate  existence  in  the 
New  Church  of  the  clergy  as  a  permanently  distinct 
class  of  men,  it  were  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  we 
should  have  much  to  say  of  the  distinguishing  rite  which 
has  been  regarded  as  constituting  them  as  such.  But  we 
have  no  quarrel  with  ordination  as  such  ^  it  is  with  its 
asserted  instrumentality  in  creating  a  superior  order  in 
the  Church  that  we  are  at  variance.  It  is,  therefore,  by 
a  misapprehension  of  our  meaning  that  we  are  charged 
with  "  plainly  rejecting  ordination  by  the  clergy." 
"What  we  reject  is  the  clergy  ordained  as  a  separate  class, 
and  not  the  ordination  itself,  except  as  the  basis  on 
which  the  clerical  character  rests.  We  are  obviously 
arguing  here  against  a  self-perjpetuating  order  of  men, 
distinct  from  the  laity.  Viewed  in  this  relation  we  of 
course  deny  to  ordination  the  virtue  usually  ascribed  to 
it  as  producing  such  an  effect,  but  we  do  not  thereby 
necessarily  repudiate  the  rite  altogether.  To  disallow  it 
under  one  aspect  is  not  inconsistent  with  allowing  it  un- 
der another.  Kightly  understood  and  rightly  applied  it 
may  have  a  very  intelligible  use  in  the  New  Dispensa- 
tion. If  a  society  shall  deem  it  proper  to  signify  their 
acceptance  of  the  labors  of  their  teachers  by  such  a  cer- 
emony, very  well ;  we  would  not  object  to  it,  though  we 
do  not  perceive  it  to  be  indispensable.    But  our  objec- 


NEW  CntTRCri  OnGANIZA.TION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


135 


tioiis  lie  inainlj  against  the  interpretations  put  upon  the 
rite  in  its  relation  to  a  permanent  and  distinct  class.  To 
charge,  therefore,  that  we  reject  ordination  hy  the  clergy^ 
is  very  little  to  the  point  so  long  as  the  main  question  is 
in  regard  to  the  very  existence  of  the  order  of  tlie  clergy 
as  A.  E.  F.  understands  it.  But  upon  this  point  we 
have  little  hope  that  our  true  position  will  be  justly  ap- 
prehended. The  proposition  that  there  may  be  a  distinct 
use  of  teaching  and  of  spiritual  leadership  in  the  church, 
without,  at  the  same  time,  its  constituting  a  distinct  and 
self-perpetuating  order  termed  the  clergy  in  contradis- 
tinction from  the  laity,  is  one  so  complex  from  its  very 
simplicity,  that  it  will  find  an  exceedingly  difficult  ad- 
mission into  minds  pre-occupied  witli  a  different  idea. 
Consequently  we  shall  deem  ourselves  fortunate  if  we 
are  not  represented  as  denying  the  tise  as  well  as  the  sep- 
arate office  of  all  ministry  in  the  Church.  If  so,  so  be 
it ;  we  would  define  our  position  more  clearly  if  we 
could.  Our  correspondent  begins  by  giving  prominence 
to  our  alleged  rejection  of  ordination  of  the  clergy  hy 
the  clergy,  which  in  our  argument  comes  into  question 
solely  as  a  rite  by  which  a  distinct  order  of  mQ-":! ])erpetu- 
ates  itself.  It  is  in  this  relation,  or  as  having  this  bear- 
ing, that  we  reject  it.  We  do  this  on  the  ground  that 
the  means  cannot  be  legitimate  to  an  end  which  is  illegi- 
timate. Ordination,  we  hold,  is  not  legitimate  as  a 
means  of  giving  perpetuity  to  the  clerical  order.  In  this 
relation  solely  do  we  speak  of  it  in  a  tone  of  disappro- 
val. But  from  this  fact  it  cannot  be  feirly  inferred  that 
we  reject  it  in  all  other  relations.  That  which  is  not 
good  for  one  thing  may  be  good  for  another  ;  and  so 
with  ordination.  The  strictures  of  A.  E.  F.  on  this  liead, 
as  they  proceed,  gradually  shift  the  point  and  direct 
themselves  at  last  against  an  imaginary  position,  as  if  we 
rejected  ordination  altogether  because  we  reject  it  under 
one  particular  aspect.  Accordingly  he  wheels  round 
upon  us  the  heavy  ordinance  of  the  extract  given  above, 
the  discovery  of  which  in  1830  among  the  unpublished 
papers  of  Swedenborg  caused  so  much  exultation  among 


136       NEW  CnUKCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


the  brethren  of  the  English  Conference  who  then  had  the 
subject  of  the  trine  in  the  ministry  under  review.  And 
what  does  it  prove  ?  Simply  that  our  author,  in  his  day, 
recognized  the  existence  of  a  church  and  a  clergy  among 
whom  the  communication  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  signi- 
fied by  the  imposition  of  hands.  From  a  somewhat 
close  and  protracted  examination  in  reference  to  this 
point  we  are  satisfied  that  numerous  passages  in  the 
writings  of  Swedenborg,  in  which  mention  is  made  of 
the  clergy  and  the  priesthood,  refer  in  reality,  not  to  the 
New  Church,  but  to  the  old.  Thus  in  H.  D.  of  N.  J., 
315,  "  With  respect  to  priests,  their  duty  is  to  teach  men 
the  way  to  heaven,  and  likewise  to  lead  them  therein. 
They  are  to  teach  them  according  to  the  doctrine  of  their 
churcli  {suae  ecclesice),  which  is  derived  from  the  "Word 
of  God."  In  the  English  edition  of  1841  of  the  II.  D. 
from  which  we  quote,  the  reading  is  "  according  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church."  This,  we  trust,  is  a  typographi- 
cal error,  as  it  is  plainly  contrary  to  the  original.  Whe- 
ther the  American  edition  contains  the  same  reading  we 
cannot  say,  not  having  a  copy  at  hand.  We  can  under- 
stand this  only  as  interpreted  in  conformity  with  the 
view  now  expressed.  The  spiritual  teachers  whom  he 
calls  priests,  in  the  several  departments  of  the  Christian 
Church,  such  as  the  Lutheran,  Reformed,  Anglican,  &c., 
are  to  inculcate  the  doctrines  of  their  respective  creeds, 
which  they  all  of  course  regard  as  drawn  from  the  in- 
spired Word  and  accordant  with  it,  and  to  which  they 
are  faithfully  to  adhere  in  imparting  instruction.  In  the 
Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
government  are  both  made  to  act  an  important  part  in 
that  system  of  influences  and  agencies  by  which  the 
world  is  kept  in  order.  The  object  of  the  chapter  is  not, 
we  conceive,  to  lay  down  a  formal  rule  of  regimen  for 
the  church,  hut  to  show  m  what  light  its  memlers  are  to 
regard  the  existing  order  of  things  in  the  two  great  de- 
partments of  Church  and  State.  This  order,  as  occur- 
ring under  the  economy  of  Divine  Providence,  Sweden- 
borg nowhere  disparages,  as  our  Lord  did  not  that  of  the 


NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


137 


Jewish  dispensation  in  his  day,  though  it  was  destined 
ere  long  to  pass  away.  But  we  do  not  learn  that  our 
author  any  where,  on  that  account,  adopts  or  prescribes 
this  order  as  designed  to  be  perpetuated  in  the  New 
Jerusalem.  "We  do  not  for  ourselves  find  that  he  dis- 
tinctly recognizes  an  earthly  priesthood  as  an  element  in 
the  New  Economy,  or  that  any  inaugurations  are  refer- 
red to  except  such  as  are  spiritual.  If  there  be  any  such 
passages  we  should  be  glad  to  have  them  pointed  out. 

(/)  "We  do  not  perceive  in  this  a  very  satisfactory  re- 
ply to  the  objection.  The  tact  that  the  authority  is  con- 
ferred instead  of  being  assianecl  does  not  militate  with 
our  position  that  the  clergy  is  a  "  self-perpetuating 
order."  They  are  certainly  a  constantly-subsisting  body, 
they  are  distinct  from  the  laity,  and  they  are  introduced 
into  the  office  by  each  other.  "Why  does  not  this  con- 
stitute a  self-perpetuating  order  ?  What  more  would  be 
requisite  to  do  it  ?  As  to  apiwintment^  it  avails  nothing 
towards  conferring  clerical  character,  on  the  prevailing 
theory,  apart  from  ordination. 

(j)  If  we  see  a  bugbear  in  this,  it  is  because  we  see 
with  optics  badly  trained.  So  deeply  for  a  long  tract  of 
ages,  has  clerical  prerogative  become  entrenched  in  the 
prejudices  and  affections  of  the  Christian  world,  so  com- 
pletely has  it  moulded  their  forms  of  thought,  that  it  is 
an  immense  achievement  to  get  out  of  the  magic  circle 
of  associations  which  it  conjures  around  us,  and  to  look 
upon  the  subject  in  the  light  of  the  Lord's  "\Yord  and  of 
man's  wisdom.  AVho  thinks  of  public  instruction  in  a 
church  but  in  connexion  with  a  consecrated  edifice,  a  pul- 
pit sacred  to  an  ordained  occupant,  and  a  passively  lis- 
tening audience  ?  But  these  are  mere  adventitious  ap- 
pendages which  have  grown  by  slow  degrees  around  the 
central  institute  of  worship.  In  like  manner  with  the 
sacraments,  which  have  been  clothed  with  a  pre-eminent 
degree  of  sanctity  in  order  to  enhance  the  official  sancti- 
ty of  those  who  administer  them.  "We  would  not  imply 
by  this  that  they  are  not  to  be  reverently  regarded  as  of 
Divine  appointment,  but  we  are  yet  to  learn  the  grounds 
13 


138       NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


on  which  the  administration  of  the  sacraments  is  to  be 
prohibited  to  anj  but  those  who  have  passed  through  the 
regular  sacerdotal  routine  and  received  the  due  credentials 
at  the  hands  of  the  due  authorities. 

{Jc)  That  is,  if  it  be  granted  in  the  outset  that  there  is 
a  distinct  class  of  men  in  the  church  denominated  the 
clergy,  and  that  they  are  solemnly  introduced  into  that 
office  by  the  ceremony  of  ordination,  and  can  derive  a 
title  to  the  pei'forraance  of  these  function's  in  no  other 
way,  then  it  will  indeed  follow  of  course  that  no  one  can 
invade  the  sacred  prerogative  without  the  grossest  sacri- 
lege. But  it  might  be  as  well  to  remember  that  we 
deny  this  asserted  effect  of  ordination,  and  consequently 
the  results  that  follow  in  its  train.  We  adhere  immova- 
bly to  our  position,  that  the  qualification  to  teach  in  the 
church,  the  love  for  it  as  a  use,  and  the  acknowledgment 
of  both  on  the  part  of  a  society,  authorizes  a  man  to  of- 
ficiate '•  unimpeached  of  usurpation"  in  that  capacity, 
and  that  no  man  or  body  of  men  has  a  right  to  prevent 
him.  Moreover,  as  the  functional  use  in  question  is  an 
important  one,  if  the  society  are  pleased  to  signify  their 
sense  of  it  by  selecting  some  of  their  number  to  express, 
by  imposition  of  hands,  accompanied  with  prayer,  their 
earnest  invocation  of  blessing  in  the  discharge  of  it,  we 
see  nothing  in  it  that  is  open  to  reasonable  objection. 
But  in  admitting  this  we  do  not  admit  that  such  a  rite  so 
consecrates  the  recipient  as  to  elevate  him  to  another 
plane  of  dignity  and  sanctity. 

(1)  We  ask  ourselves  again  and  again  where  is  the  pe- 
culiar difiiculty  of  apprehending  the  distinction  to  which 
we  have  so  often  adverted,  and  which  draws  the  line  be- 
tween an  occasional  or  even  a  stated  use  and  a  perma- 
nent office  that  constitutes  its  functionaries  a  sejjarate 
and  sacred  order  of  men.  Certain  exigencies  on  the 
score  of  instruction  in  a  New  Church  Society  demand 
the  exercise  of  certain  gifts  or  endowments  at  certain 
times.  The  services  requisite  arc  rendered  accordingly, 
just  as  the  teachers  in  a  Sabbath-school  perform  the  du- 
ties which,  because  they  were  needed,  they  have  consent- 


NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  139 


ed  to  assume.  But  has  this  the  effect  of  making  them  a 
distinct  ciass  of  men  in  the  community  '!  Ave  they  not, 
during  the  week-days,  pursuing  their  fixed  occupation 
like  other  citizens  and  perfectly  upon  a  par  with  them  ? 
Suppose  their  Sabbath-day  employment  to  be  called  an 
"  office,"  still  they  are  properly  "  officers"  no  longer  than 
while  engaged  in  it,  even  though  engaged  in  it  statedly 
and  for  a  term  of  years.  Ko  one  ever  dreams  that  they 
become,  iu  consequence  of  this  function,  a  distinct  order 
prescriptively  invested  with  the  prerogative  not  only  of 
teaching,  but  of  creating  by  ordination  other  teachers. 
A.  E.  F.  would  make  the  clerical  and  judicial  functions 
exactly  parallel.  This  would  require  that  the  limits  of 
each  should  be  defined  with  the  utmost  precision,  and 
that  no  one  should  presume  any  more  to  invade  the  pro- 
vince of  the  minister  than  the  lawyer  or  the  common 
citizen  does  that  of  the  judge.  But  we  ask  if  this  is  pos- 
sible? Would  A.  E.  F.  undertake  to  define  the  precise 
line  which  separates  the  duties  of  the  laity  from  the 
prerogatives  of  the  clergy  ?  May  not  a  layman  teach 
any  spiritual  truth  at  all  ?  If  he  may  teach  so?ne,  how 
much  ?  Suj^pose  a  warm-hearted  Newchurchman  in 
some  remote  village  in  Maine  or  Michigan  should  be 
impelled  to  open  his  doors  on  the  Sabbath  to  such  of 
his  neighbors  as  saw  fit  to  attend,  and  should  read,  pray, 
and  sing  with  them,  and  under  the  promptings  of  a  full 
heart  should  venture  to  propound  his  own  views  of  the 
grand  and  rrlorious  truths  of  the  i^ew  Jerusalem,  and 
urge  them  upon  his  audience,  by  what  scale  of  crimi- 
nality should  we  measure  his  offence  ?  Should  we  trem- 
ble for  fear  that  the  doom  of  Korah  and  his  companions 
would  come  upon  him  ?  Should  we  not  fear  rather  that 
his  own  soul  would  suffer  leanness  were  he  to  withhold 
that  which  would  tend  to  remedy  the  leanness  of  the 
souls  of  others  ?  The  fact  is,  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
spheres  are  entirel}^  different.  It  is  impossible  to  bring 
the  principles  applicable  to  each  into  the  same  category. 
Every  man  of  the  church  is  potentially  a  minister  or 
priest,  and  the  development  of  the  fitting  endowments, 


140      NEW  CHTJECH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


together  with  the  consent  and  acknowledgment  of  his 
associates  is  all  that  is  needed  to  make  him  actually  so. 
Assume  any  more  restricted  ground  and  the  church  has 
a  hierarchy  inevitably  fixed  upon  it. 

All  the  prevention  that  may  be  attempted,  short 
of  actual  force,  amounts  simply  to  non-acknowledgment. 
A  society  may  refuse  to  acknowledge  as  a  teacher  one 
who  would  fain  impose  himself  upon  them  in  that  char- 
acter, but  they  cannot  prevent  him  from  preaching  to 
another  society  who  are  willing  to  hear  him,  nor  if  ever 
so  many  New  Church  societies  combine  and  veto  his 
preaching  could  they  prevent  his  ofilciating  beyond  the 
pale  of  their  jurisdiction.  The  mere  fact  of  several  so- 
cieties combining  confers  no  new  power  of  prohibition  ; 
it  simply  affords  the  means  of  a  more  imited  expression 
of  opinion  on  the  subject.  One  who  was  intent  upon 
proclaiming  what  he  deemed  to  be  truth,  and  whose  life 
challenged  investigation,  would  smile  at  all  the  edicts 
that  could  be  launched  against  him  by  Synods  or  Con- 
ventions. 

(?'<.)  There  is  nothing  to  hinder  societies  from  combin- 
ing for  purposes  of  i;se  in  advancing  the  Lord's  kingdom, 
but  if  they  suppose  that  their  coming  together  and 
"  combining  into  a  body"  invests  them  Avith  an  authority 
of  "  prescribing"  what  they  had  not  the  power  to  do  be- 
fore, they  labor  under  as  great  a  mistake,  as  would  he 
who  should  hold  that  the  whole  is  more  than  an  aggre- 
gate of  all  the  parts. 

{o)  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  these  words  ot 
om-  author  must  receive  limitation  somewhere.  With  all 
his  zeal  for  a  sharply  defined  distinction  of  grades  and 
functions  in  the  church,  A.  E.  F.  would  not  say  that  none 
but  a  clergyman  was  ever  to  insinuate  truth  into  the 
minds  of  his  fellow-men.  lie  must  concede  the  right  in 
some  degree — what  is  it?  In  some  cases — what  are 
they  ?  We  will  abide  by  his  determination.  If  he  main- 
tains that  while  in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of  life  every 
man  is  at  liberty  to  improve  the  occasions  that  may  oc- 
cur for  correcting  falsity  and  im2)arting  truth,  but  that 


NEW  CHUKCH  OEGAinZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  141 


in  the  inatter  of  formal  instruction  in  public  meetings, 
for  instance,  tlae  duty  of  unfolding  and  applying  the 
truths  of  the  church  should  devolve  rather  upon  those 
who  occupy  the  post  of  teachers,  we  have  no  difficulty 
in  agreeing  with  him,  for  we  regard  such  "  teaching 
ministers"  or  spiritual  servants,  as  a  very  important  ele- 
ment in  every  society,  but  we  are  very  far  from  looking 
upon  them  as  snch  a  distinct  order  of  men  as  is  now  un- 
derstood by  the  clergy. 

{j))  As  we  put  this  in  the  same  category  with  the  for- 
mer extract  from  the  Canons,  it  will  be  superfluous  to 
dwell  upon  it  here.  We  find  no  evidence  that  Sweden- 
borg  speaks  either  here  or  elsewhere  of  any  other  clergy 
as  such  than  that  which  he  recognized  in  tlie  existing 
church  of  his  day. 

(q)  We  have  guarded  our  statement  sufliciently  to  re- 
but the  force  of  this  objection,  as  Avill  appear  by  italicis- 
ing another  clause  of  the  sentence  ; — "  As  to  heretical  or 
incompetent  ministers  and  the  proper  mode  of  dealing 
with  them,  this,  in  a  well-ordcrcd  state  of  the  Churchy 
will  take  care  of  itself."  It  is  seldom  indeed  that  any 
reform  of  moment  is  eftected  by  itself  apart  from  a  re- 
form in  the  system  to  which  it  belongs.  We  should  an- 
ticipate with  A.  E.  F.  that  disorders  aud  irregularities  in 
abundance  would  be  the  consequence  of  such  a  change 
as  he  deems  the  legitimate  consequence  of  our  theory. 
It  is  evident  from  his  coupling  together  "  no  human 
priesthood"  with  "  no  human  go\  ernment"  that  he  attri- 
butes to  our  views  a  perfectly  subversive  or  destructive 
tendency  without  one  reileeming  element.  It  is,  howev- 
er, well  to  remind  ourselves  that  the  bad  consequences 
which  might  in  the  first  instance  flow  from  the  breaking 
up  of  a  corrupt  state  of  things  in  church  or  State  are  not 
of  themselves  a  sufiicient  argument  against  the  plea  for 
reform.  In  the  present  case  the  question  is  as  to  the  ab- 
stract truth  of  certain  principles  bearing  upon  the  econo- 
my of  the  church.  If  the  fundamental  positions  which 
we  assume  are  intrinsically  sound,  the  legitimate  conse- 
quences can  by  no  possibility  be  evil.  Let  that  question 
then  be  decided. 

13* 


142      NEW  CHURCH  OEGANIZA.TION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


(r)  We  willingly  let  all  this  go  for  what  it  is  worth,  leav- 
ing it  to  our  readers  to  judge  how  far  we  differ  or  how  far 
we  agree  with  the  teachings  of  Swedenborg  rightly  un- 
derstood. That  he  has  much  to  say  respecting  j)riests, 
priesthood,  clergy,  &c.,  is  readily  admitted,  but  that  he 
predicates  them  of  the  New  Church  is  not  admitted.  Thus 
aa  to  imposition  of  hands,  he  says,  C.  L.  396,  "  Because 
the  hands  are  the  ultimates  of  man,  and  his  firsts  are 
simultaneously  in  ultimates,  it  is  that  inaugurations  into 
the  priesthood  are  at  this  day  performed  by  the  laying  on 
of  hands."    But  upon  this  head  we  cannot  now  dilate. 

(s)  There  is  but  little  prospect  of  bringing  controver- 
sies to  a  close  so  long  as  either  of  the  parties  miscon- 
strues the  leading  position  of  the  other,  or  puts  its  own 
sense  on  an  opponent's  terms  and  then  waxes  valiant  in 
contending  with  it.  We  have  nowhere  denied  that  the 
function  of  teaching  exists  and  always  has  existed  in  the 
Church,  consequently  that  there  are  to  be  teachers.  But 
we  deny  that  these  teachers  are  identical  with  the  clergy 
of  the  present  day,  an  order  of  men  which,  from  the 
love  of  dominion,  has  grafted  itself  upon  that  of  the 
teachers  aforesaid,  and  in  a  thousand  forms  of  usurpation 
"lorded  it  over  God's  heritage."  To  what  does  it  amount 
then  to  say  that  the  clergy,  as  a  distinct  body,  dates  it- 
self far  back  of  the  rise  of  the  spirit  of  doinination  ? 
This  is  a  spirit  which  allows  very  few  things  indeed  to 
date  back  of  it.  The  clergy,  in  the  sense  of  teachers, 
or,  if  you  please,  of  teaching  ministers,  existed  from  the 
origin  of  Christian  Societies,  but  the  clergy,  in  the  sense 
of  the  priesthood,  is  of  far  later  growth,  and  is  the  un- 
doubted offspring  of  the  love  of  dominion,  as  any  candid 
man  will  see  who  reads  father  Sarpi's  History  of  the 
Council  of  Trent,  or  Campbell's  Lectures  on  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History. 

{t)  The  effect  is  here,  if  we  mistake  not,  unwittingly 
put  for  the  cause  and  the  cause  for  the  effect.  The  doc- 
trines of  absolution,  of  the  power  of  the  keys,  and  of 
apostolic  succession,  were  not  born  till  the  love  of  domi- 
nation begot  them,  nor  will  they  die  so  long  as  their  fos- 


NEW  CHtTBCH  OEQAinZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


143 


ter  parent  the  clergy  survives  to  nourish  them.  The  idea 
of  a  separate  order  of  clergy  subsisting  in  total  disjunc- 
tion from  the  abuses  which  have  ever  accompanied  it  is, 
in  our  view,  chimerical. 

(ic)  The  course  of  reasoning  which  our  friend  pursues 
throughout  his  article  leans  very  strongly  and  naturally 
to  a  most  lenient  and  tolerant  view  of  the  church  of  the 
Papacy,  as  the  arguments  by  which  both  systems  are 
sustained  have  a  marked  affinity  for  each  other.  Indeed, 
with  the  abatement  or  exception  which  he  specifies,  we 
cannot  perceive  how,  upon  his  ground,  the  constitution 
of  the  Roman  Church  could  have  been  "  highly  inexpedi- 
ent." Highly  expedient  would  sound  in  our  ears  as  the 
more  approj)riate  epithet.  We  are  often  amused  at  the 
efforts  made  to  separate  the  dross  and  still  retain  the  vir- 
gin gold  of  Eome.  The  grand  fact,  however,  still  re- 
mains inexpugnable  that  the  sacerdotal  heresy  is  the 
mother  and  the  munition  of  the  papal  apostasy. 

{v)  "We  must  put  this  down  as  a  singular  specimen  of 
liyi^er-refinement  in  the  way  of  confuting  an  axiomatic 
principle  of  the  Xew  Church,  to  wit,  that  every  good 
man  is  a  church  in  the  least  form ;  from  which,  we  main- 
tain, it  follows  that  if  the  priestly  function  is  an  essential 
element  of  the  church,  that  element  exists  in  every  indi- 
vidual of  the  church.  And  how  is  this  replied  to? 
"The  man  is  composed  of  goods  and  truths,  two  perfect- 
ly distinct  things ;  priests  correspond,  in  the  collective 
church,  with  goods,  and  the  laity,  consequently  with 
truths,  and  as  goods  and  truths  are  distinct,  the  clergy 
and  laity  must  be  distinct  also."  But  where  does  our 
respondent  learn  that  the  laity  corresponds  with 
truths  ?  "We  by  no  means  admit  his  "  consequently"  on 
this  head.  The  priestly  principle  does  indeed  both  in 
the  Lord  and  in  man  correspond  to  good,  but  the  proper 
counterpart  to  this  is  not  any  lay-principle  corresponding 
to  truth,  but  the  regal  principle  of  which  truth  is  the 
genuine  basis.  Therefore  it  is  said  that  under  the  New  Dis- 
pensation we  are  made  priests  and  kings,  but  not  priests 
and  laymen.    The  priests  under  the  Old  Dispensation 


144      NEW  CHURCH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


were  distinct  from  the  laity  b}'  the  very  nature  of  their 
office,  and  wlien  it  is  said  that  under  the  New  all  become 
priests,  it  follows  that  the  former  distinction  is  of  course 
done  away  ;  that  they  are  all  upon  the  same  plane, 
thongli  there  may  still  be  diversity  of  functions  and  uses  ; 
and  that  the  spiritual  forms  of  goodness  and  truth  in  the 
collective  man  of  the  church  are  priesthood  and  king- 
ship, so  that  if  there  is  an  external  order  of  priests  on 
the  one  hand  there  must  be  an  external  order  of  kings 
on  the  other.  Does  our  friend  recognize  his  refutation 
when  it  comes  before  him  in  this  form,  or  does  he  ex- 
claim, "  Quantum  mutatus  ah  illo 

{vS)  If  our  correspondent  had  here  quoted  our  remarks 
upon  the  passage  referred  to,  it  would  have  been  appa- 
rentj  We  think,  that  the  force  of  the  objection  built  upon 
it  was  effectually  done  away.  As  it  is,  we  must  rely 
upon  the  reader's  courtesy  to  refer  to  it  (E".  C.  Repos., 
Dec,  1849). 

(ic)  We  may  oftentimes  admit  the  abstract  truth  of  a 
principle  affirmed  to  liold  in  a  particular  analogy,  and 
yet  refuse  to  admit  that  the  principle  can  be  fairly  ap- 
plied in  the  case  which  the  analogy  is  designed  to  illus- 
trate or  confute.  In  the  present  instance  we  have  no 
quarrel  with  what  A.  E.  F.  says  about  the  order  of  in- 
flux, &c.,  but  we  do  not  concede  tliat  it  overthrows  the 
truth  of  our  position.  We  do  not  grant  that  the  origina- 
tion of  the  true  ministry  from  societies  is  superseded  by 
any  subsequent  state  of  things  into  which  the  infancy  of 
the  church  resolves  itself.  "  It  is  a  matter  of  necessity 
that  \X\Q  first  ordination  should  be  by  the  laity  ;  but  it  is 
in  vain  to  rely  upon  this  as  proof  that  it  should  be  so 
alwaysP  We  seem  to  be  shut  up  to  the  frequent  re- 
statement of  our  main  position  as  the  true  answer  to 
nearly  every  argument  of  our  opponent.  With  him  the 
great  point  is  ordination  as  that  in  which  the  essence  of 
the  clerical  office  consists ;  with  us  the  main  question  is 
as  to  the  office  itself,  which  we  understand  to  be  a  func- 
tion of  use  performed  by  certain  persons  duly  qualifled, 
but  still  standing  upon  the  same  plane  with  the  mass  of 


NEW  CHUECH  ORGANIZATION  AND  GOVERNMENT.  145 


the  members  of  the  society  in  whose  behoof  they  offici- 
ate. In  the  first  selection  or  appointment  of  these  indi- 
^•iduals  we  see  no  objection  to  the  members  expressing 
their  concurrence  in  the  choice  by  the  rite  of  imposition 
of  hands,  either  in  their  own  persons  or  by  proxy,  as 
convenience  may  dictate,  though  we  maintain  that  this 
act  does  nothing  towards  investing  them  with  authority, 
or  elevating  them  into  a  distinct  superior  order,  but 
merely  implies  a  cordial  assent  to  the  appointment  and 
an  earnest  invocation  of  the  divine  blessing  upon  the 
new  relation  which  is  now  to  be  established  between  the 
parties.  The  ceremony  may  properly  enough  be  per- 
formed, if  the  society  sees  fit,  while  at  the  same  time  we 
see  no  such  absolute  necessity  for  it  as  that  the  validity 
of  the  function  shall  be  annulled  by  reason  of  its  ab- 
sence. And  so  in  regard  to  subsequent  appointments  to 
the  same  office  in  the  same  society.  The  existing  func- 
tionaries may  ordain  new  ones,  as  circumstances  may  re- 
quire, with  tlie  same  interpretation  of  the  import  of  the 
rite  as  in  the  first  instance.  It  is  a  decent  and  becoming 
ceremony,  tending  no  doubt  to  enhance  the  impressive- 
ness  of  the  occasion,  but  devoid  of  that  peculiar  sanctity 
and  indispensable  necessity  which  has  been  claimed  for 
it.  Our  readers  will  judge  from  these  remarks  how 
much  weight  we  assign  to  A.  E.  F.'s  position  that  "  you 
cannot  govern  a  man  by  the  laws  of  emhryo  life,  and 
you  should  not  make  the  church,  full-grown,  conform  to 
the  model  of  its  forming  stage."  We  are  unable  to  see 
why  the  simplest  form  of  a  New  Church  society  should 
not  be  permanent,  just  as  we  have  reason  to  believe  that 
the  forms  of  the  heavenly  societies  are  permanent.  If 
so,  the  process  we  have  described  above  of  furnishing 
societies  with  teachers  is  all  that  is  requisite,  and  the 
reasoning  of  our  correspondent  on  the  subject  is  an- 
swered. 


A  TRAINED  AND  PROFES.^IONAL  CLERGY. 


EXTRACT  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  AN  ENGLISH  CORRESPONDENT. 

[X.  C.  Uonos.,  Jlay,  1851.] 

Your  fear  of  having  given  offence  by  your  speculations  to  your 
English  brethren,  I  think  you  may  dismiss  at  once.  If  I  may  judge 
from  my  own  limited  circle,  the  impression  produced  is  a  feeling  of 
regret  that  your  mode  of  improving  our  views  of  clerical  institutions, 
has  been  so  much  mixed  up  with  the  external  and  personal  affairs  of 
the  United  States  Institutions  in  the  N.  C.(a)  ;  and  also  that  we  can- 
not clearly  see  or  firmlij  grasp  your  views  of  what  is  best  to  be  under- 
stood and  done,  in  regard  to  the  relation  in  question,  that  is,  practi- 
cally, either  as  regards  the  present  time,  or  the  immediate  future.  (^6;  I 
find  this  same  difficulty  in  your  letter  ;  and  I  hesitate  what  course  to 
take  ;  to  point  out,  by  a  reference  to  your  own  words,  such  as  "  exclu- 
sive class,"  "  monopoly,"  "  distinct  caste"  and  "  order,"  "  permanent 
order,"  &c.,  how  you  puzzle  me  ;  or  to  state  my  own  simple  view  of  the 
main  points  of  the  subject.  As  the  shortest  course,  I  will  take  the 
latter,  first  remarking,  that  I  cannot  admit  that  in  your  controversy 
any  sense  of  teaching  by  priests  was  admissible,  except  that  in  public 
worship.    Any  other  sense  could  only  generate  confusion. (c) 

I  see  no  need  to  consult  Swedenborg  or  the  Word  to  ascertain 
specially  whether  we  want  religious  teachers  (called  by  Americans 
"  clergy,"  but  clergy  here  mean  Established  Church  ministers  only) 
to  instruct  those  who  assemble  for  worship  on  Sundays.  Comm  n 
sense,  founded  on  experience,  is  an  all-sufficient  guide.  It  is  a  settled 
point  that  Christians  should  use  public  worship,  and  no  one  doubts 
that  a  part  of  the  engagements  on  such  occasions  should  be  instruc- 
tion. Then  :  Query — Who  is  to  give  this  instruction  ?  Answer — 
The  most  efficient  persons  available.  Query — Should  they  be  per- 
sons specially  trained  to  do  so,  and  rendered  more  efficient  by  ap- 
propriate, regular,  and  constant  mental  culture,  suitable  to  their 
work,  and  perfected  by  the  practice  and  habit  of  teaching?  Or 
should  the  teaching  be  given  extempore  by  any  person  chancing  to 
be  present,  on  l)eing  called  upon  ?  Answer — When  it  can  be  proved 
that  an  extempore  doctor  and  lawyer,  without  special  training  for 
their  respective  vocations,  are  more  efficient  than  regularly  trained 
doctors  and  lawyers,  then,  and  not  before,  it  will  bo  proved,  that  ex- 
tempore, or  rather  improvisatore,  religious  teachers,  arc  the  best. 
Query— Is  it  well,  then,  to  have  a  trained  body  of  teachers,  called  by 
a  peculiar  designation,  who  shall  devote  themselves /or  life  to  the  office, 
and  be  a  distinct  body  from  the  taught,  called  in  contradistinction  by 
another  designation  ?    Answer — Lawyers,  doctors  and  schoolmasters 


A  TRAINED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


147 


devote  their  lives  to  their  work,  and  why  not  religious  teachers  and 
pastors  ?  As  to  the  designation,  of  what  consequence  is  it,  except  as 
it  is  necessary  to  facilitate  the  understanding  of  speech  ?  We  have 
clergy  and  laity  ;  but  the  laity  only  means  those  who  are  not  clergy. 
In  law  we,  in  Great  Britain,  have'  lawyers  and  "  laymen,"  the  latter 
being  those  who  are  not  lawyers,  including,  I  presume,  clergymen.  In 
physic,  v.'c  have  doctors  and  the  un-professional.  These  are  real  dis- 
tinctions, and  nothing-  more  is  meant  by  the  designations  descriptive  of 
them  in  one  case  than  the  other.  Thus  we  say,  "  clergy  and  laity,"  not 
to  mark  a  stronger  or  different  line  than  that  which  exists  between  the 
operators  and  operated  upon,  in  the  other  cases.  The  clergy  are  no 
more  a  distinct  body  from  the  rest,  than  the  lawyers  and  doctors  are 
distinct  from  the  rest.  Lawyers  and  doctors  are  esteemed  according  to 
their  talents  and  known  acquirements,  and  why  should  not  religious 
teachers  obtain  influence  and  employment  on  the  same  grounds  ?  The 
country  wants  the  use,  and  wants  it  performed  in  the  best  manner,  and 
therefore  wants  those  who  can  do  it  best,  and  therefore  should  encour- 
age those  who  have  best  qualified  themselves  for  their  work,  to  adopt 
the  office  for  Yire.(d) 

In  the  first  ages  of  Christianity,  according  to  Peter,  there  existed  a 
spiritual  priesthood ;  and  there  were  also  religious  teachers ;  it  does 
not  appear  necessary  to  connect  the  latter  fact  with  the  former,  either 
then,  or  in  the  N.  C.  The  former  is  an  invisible  body,  and  each  one 
should  take  care  that  he  is  a  member  of  it ;  but  what  has  this  to  do 
with  providing  for  the- instruction  of  the  people  on  Sundays  ?  except, 
indeed,  so  far  as  this — that  if  we  can  see  in  a  candidate  for  the  teach- 
er's or  pastor's  vocation  traces  of  character  such  as  belongs  to  the 
spiritual  priesthood,  combined  with  effective  talents  for  teaching,  we 
have  good  ground  for  receiving  him,  since  the  former  without  the  latter, 
or  the  latter  without  the  former,  would  be  useless  in  a  teacher.  But  it 
appears  to  me  that  the  traces  of  the  spiritual  priesthood,  as  existing  in 
the  lawyer  or  doctor,  are  scarcely  less  important  for  them  in  their  voca- 
tion, than  for  the  religious  teachers  in  theirs.    Paul  was  a  great  reli- 

fious  teacher  appointed  of  God,  but  where,  according  to  the  Diary  of  E. 
.,  was  his  spiritual  priesthood?  Divine  Wisdom,  in  his  case,  cousti- 
tuted  a  man  a  religious  teacher,  who  was  not  then,  and  perhaps  not 
likely  to  become,  a  spiritual  priest.  This  proves  that  we  shall  not 
fatally  err  by  choosing  for  a  religious  teacher  a  man  who  appears  to  be 
a  spiritual  priest,  but  is  not.  Now,  all  this  being  granted,  how  can 
it  be  avoided  to  make  a  distinction  in  name  between  clergy  and  laity, 
while  there  is  such  a  palpable  distinction  in  fact  ?  You  admit  that  the 
terms  clergy,  teachers  or  priests,  "  indicate  a  certain  form  of  use,"  but 
you  affirm  that  those  who  perform.that  use  are  not  a  distinct  order. 
Now,  my  dear  sir,  I  can  make  nothing  out  of  this  but  your  saying, 
that  they  are  actually  distinct,  being  distinguished  by  a  distinct  use, 
but  they  must  not  be  accounted  or  said  to  be  ^!  If  your  ideas  are 
better  than  those  here  suggested,  your  words  are  not  worthy  of  them. 
Lawyers  and  doctors  are  a  distinct  order,  and  the  only  marked  dififer- 


148 


A  TRAINED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


ence  is,  that  they  deal  with  individuals,  while  teachers  deal  with  aggre 
gate  bodies ;  and  partly,  perhaps,  in  consequence  of  the  latter  being 
the  case,  it  has  been  found  expedient  that  the  covenant  between  the 
taught  and  the  teacher  should  be  marked  by  a  public  ceremonial, 
which  is  arranged  in  various  forms,  called  Ordinations — the  covenant 
being  the  principal  and  essential  thing,  and  the  mode  of  ratifying  it, 
the  instrumental  or  non-essential.  The  covenant  is  a  fact — that  cannot 
be  questioned  ;  and  all  talk  about  ordination  is  not,  properly,  talk 
about  the  clergy  as  a  fact,  but  a  discussion  about  the  mode  of  celebrat- 
ing a  fact  relating  to  them. 

We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  views  of  the  future  N.  C.  about 
clergy :  ive  have  only  to  provide  for  our  own  wants,  and  as  well  and 
as  wisely  as  we  can.  When  the  N.  J.  attains  its  glory,  there  will,  per- 
haps, be  no  doctors  and  no  lawyers,  and  uo  teachers  such  as  we  now  re- 
quire ;  but  what  have  we  to  do  with  that  1  Is  it  not  to  us  a  matter  of 
profitless  speculation  ?  What  we  want  we  must  have,  and  leave  the 
wants  of  the  future  to  suggest  their  suitable  supplies.  There  is  quite 
as  good  reason  for  discontinuing  lawyers  and  doctors  now,  as  for 
abolishing  the  clergy  now,  because  hereafter  none  of  them  may  be 
wanted.  Let  each  age  do  the  best  it  can  for  itself.  Sufficient  unto 
the  day  are  the  duties  thereof. 

But  you  might  say,  "  All  this  is  very  well,  but  you  know  that  the 
Bostonians  and  others  have  gone  to  E.  S.  to  find  grounds  for  a  hier- 
archy of  three  orders,  having  peculiar  and  exchifive  privileges  and 
powers."  Certainly,  and  you  have  declared  that  you  do  not  accept 
their  ecclesiastical  constitution,  as  you  had  a  right  to  declare;  and 
you  have  given  your  reasons  for  it ;  and  all  I  meant  to  say  abov  in 
regard  to  your  reasons  is,  that  I  wish  you  had  proceeded  more  accord- 
ing to  the  short  usual  process  of  argument,  than  according  to  U.  S.  N. 
0.  fashion,  by  so  many  questionable  and  uncertain  references  to  E.  S. 
Of  course  I  regard  his  authority  as  conclusive,  but  on/y  when  he  is 
obviously  speaking  to  the  very  point  in  dispute,  or  when  indisputably  his 
already  expressed  general  principles  obviously  bear  upon  it.  Con- 
structive conclusions,  I  like  as  well,  or  rather  as  little,  as  the  old  con- 
structive treasons  in  politics ; — one  seeks  to  get  your  mind  into  thrall, 
and  the  other,  your  body. 

If  people's  common  conception  does  not  qualify  them  to  judge  by 
the  rule  of  utility  whether  there  should  be  a  trine  of  clerical  grades  or 
not,  it  seems  to  me,  that  all  disputing  with  them,  to  show  that  their 
conclusions  from  E.  S.  are  perversions,  will  be  lost  upon  them ;  but  for 
the  sake  of  the  lookers  on,  I  admit,  it  is  needful  for  some  who  feel 
their  vocation  for  the  work,  to  show  that  the  conclusions  referred  to 
are  perversions.  But  this  will  require  concentration  of  force  and  great 
care,  to  avoid  getting  into  a  course  of  reasoning  and  disputes  on  incon- 
clusive, or  misunderstood,  or  misapplied  passages  of  E.  S.,  as  inter- 
minable as  it  is  ine%ctive.  It  is  like  arguing  by  parallels,  where 
nearly  all  the  time  is  occupied  in  pointing  out  want  of  parallelism. 
It  is  said  of  some  people,  that  they  have  all  sorts  of  sense  except 


A  TRAINED  AND  PR0PES3[0NAL  CLERGr. 


149 


common  sense,  and  it  appears  to  me  that  E.  S.,  according  to  your  re- 
presentation of  his  meaning,  must  be  numbered  with  such  characters ; 
that  is,  if,  in  writing  the  chapter  On  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil  Govern- 
ment, ho  only  traced  what  ought  to  be  done  in  the  Old  Church  by 
priests  and  people,  in  relation  to  each  other,  when  all  the  while  he 
knew  that  the  Old  Church  was  incorrigible,  and  was  about  to  be  su- 
perseded by  the  New  I  He  knew  also,  according  to  your  reading,  that 
what  he  pronounced  good  for  the  0.  C,  though  impossible  to  it,would 
not  be  good  for  the  N.  C,  and  yet  he  omitted  to  say  so  !  1  He  is 
evidently  speaking  of  or  to  a  church  that  he  meant  to  profit  by  his  sug- 
gestions, and  therefore  must  have  thought  such  benefit  attainable  :  I  put 
it  to  your  candor,  therefore,  and  in  justice  to  E.  S.,  was  that  church 
which  E.  S.  addressed  the  utterly  ruined  0.  C,  which  cannot  be  bene- 
fited ;  or  another  church  which  can  1  If  the  latter,  what  church  could 
that  be  except  the  N.  C.  ?  Why,  then,  charge  him  by  implication, 
with  violating  common  sense,  first  by  prescribing  impossibilities  to  the 
0.  C. ;  and,  secondly,  by  not  warning  the  N.  C'  that  what  he  said  was 
exclusively  meant  for  the  0.  C,  notwithstanding  the  title  of  the  book 
— "  The  N.  Jerusalem  and  its  Heavenly  Doctrines  ?  "  Youplace  E.  S., 
by  your  limitation  of  his  meaning,  in  an  inextricable  dilemma.  In  any 
point  of  view,  you  make  him  wanting  in  common  sense.  You  make 
him  like  a  physician  who  should  carefully  take  measures  to  convey  to 
bis  son,  after  his  death,  a  prescrijilioii  lalivlkd  for  him,  and  which  ap- 
peared on  the  face  of  it,  to  be  iulcnJal  for  his  son's  me,  but  which,  in 
fact,  was  nothing  but  a  prescription  whidi  one  of  his  dead  patients  had 
'neglected  to  take;  and,  if  taken  bij  the  son,  would  infallibly  poison  him. 
Such  I  think  is  a  fair  parallel  to  the  case  drawn  by  you  of  the  conduct 
of  our  spiritual  physician  Swcdcnborg,  in  regard  to  this  chapter  !(c) 

REMARKS. 

(a)  We  had  no  special  reference,  in  the  tenor  of  our  re- 
marks, to  the  state  of  tilings  among  our  English  brethren. 
We  had  no  aim  to  "  improve  their  views  of  clerical  in- 
stitutions," but  wrote  mainly  with  the  actual  condition 
of  the  JSTew  Church  in  our  own  country  in  our  eye.  At 
the  same  time,  we  have  endeavored  to  unfold  the  general 
principles  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject, and  which  are  of  course  universally  applicable. 

(J)  Our  brother  is  doubtless  aware  that  there  is  always 
a  difficulty  in  "  seeing  clearly"  and  "  grasping  firmly"  a 
train  of  tiiought  which  goes  counter  to  the  whole  current 
of  our  previous  notions,  especially  wlien  it  questions  the 
soundness  of  principles  that  form  the  basis  of  usages,  in- 
14 


160  A  TRAINED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


stitutions,  and  polities  with  which  he  has  been  familiar 
from  childhood,  and  which  are  made  venerable  by  his- 
toric recollection.  "We  woxild  not  quote  the  pungent 
aphoristic  couplet  of  Cowper  with  any  personal  allusion 
to  our  correspondent ;  but  it  is  apropos  as  expressive  of 
a  general  fact  in  human  experience, — 

"  The  text  that  suits  not  to  his  darling  whim, 
Though  clear  to  others,  is  obscure  to  him." 

"We  are  at  least  greatly  at  a  loss  to  conceive  that  the 
views  which  we  have  advanced  on  the  theme  of  the 
ministry  and  its  relative  topics  is  at  all  difficult  of  ap- 
prehension considered  as  a  theory.  But  the  practical 
carrying  then)  out  is  another  matter.  And  here  we 
must  repeat  what  we  have  said  before,  that  we  have  not 
propounded  our  sentiments  witli  a  view  to  any  abrupt  or 
violent  change  in  tlie  existing  order  of  things.  We 
would  have  eveiy  tiling  ripen  by  due  degrees.  Seeds  of 
thought,  like  seeds  (if  plants,  may  be  properly  sown,  with 
the  full  understanding  tliat  they  are  to  lie  for  a  longer  or 
shorter  time  in  the  mental  soil  before  they  germinate, 
and  still  longer  before  they  come  to  maturity.  In  the 
present  instance  we  have  thrown  out  suggestions  bearing 
upon  the  true  constitution  and  order  of  the  New  Church, 
the  tendc7i6y  of  which  is  midonbtedly  to  operate  impor- 
tant changes,  not  only  of  opinion,  but  of  action  on  these 
subjects,  as  to  which,  however,  we  still  trust  to  the  good 
sense  and  wisdom  of  reflecting  men  not  to  precipitate 
results  even  from  principles  that  are  intrinsically  sound. 
That  which  is  essentially  reformatory  need  not  be  at  the 
same  time  violently  revolutionary. 

(c)  AVe  will  not  quarrel  with  this  position,  although 
we  should  no  doubt  difl'er  from  our  friend  as  to  the  pro- 
minence which  was  to  be  given  to  teacJdng  as  a  de- 
partment of  public  worship.  But  of  this  more  in  what 
follows. 

{d)  The  course  of  reasoning  here  adopted  proceeds, 
we  think,  upon  an  inadequate  view,  not  only  of  the 
true  ends  of  woi  ship,  but  also  of  the  true  constituents  of 


A  TR.VIXED  AND  TROFESSIOXAL  CLERGY. 


131 


a  Church.  "  Tlieology,"  says  Jeremy  Taylor,  is  not  so 
much  a  disdue  doctrine  as  a  divine  lite."  This  is  entire- 
ly in  accordance  with  the  scope  of  the  informations  im- 
parted to  the  'New  Church.  The  aim  of  its  doctrines  is 
to  develope  a  new  life  wherever  they  are  received, 
and  the  elements  of  this  new  life  are  the  same  in  all. 
"Wherever  they  exist,  there  is  the  church  in  its  least 
form  indeed,  but  in  all  its  essential  fulness  ;  consequent- 
ly, every  requisite  function  of  the  Church  must  poten- 
tially reside  in  every  individual  member  of  the  Church. 
How  this  can  consist  with  the  exclusive  possession  of  the 
teaching  prerogative  by  any  distinct  order,  class,  or  caste 
of  men,  is  what  we  are  unable  either  "  clearly  to  see  or 
firmly  to  grasp."  And  yet  as  here,  if  any  where,  is  the 
fundamental  fallacy  of  our  position,  it  claims  to  be 
directly  met  and  answered.  Instead  of  doing  this,  how- 
ever, our  astute  correspondent  plants  his  battery  against 
the  practical  operation  of  the  scheme,  by  showing  up  its 
impotency  to  secure  the  desirable  ends  of  religious  in- 
struction as  a  part  of  public  worship.  How  shall  a  man 
teach  to  any  advantage  who  has  not  been  duly  qualified 
by  previous  training  and  culture  for  the  work?  'And 
how  can  this  important  function  be  secured  in  the 
Church,  except  by  means  of  a  trained  body  of  teachers, 
called  by  a  special  designation,  devoted  to  the  oflice  for 
life,  and  thus  necessarily  constituting  a  distinct  and  ex- 
clusive class  ?  And  is  not  such  a  class  as  completely 
contradistinguished,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  from  the 
taught  as  are  doctors  and  lawyers  from  patients  and  cli- 
ents ?  It  is  easy  to  see  the  extreme  plausibility  of  this 
kind  of  argument,  and  yet  it  is  very  far  from  carrying- 
conviction  to  our  mind.  It  is  not  satisfactory,  inasmuch 
as  it  appears  to  us  to  give  to  the  iinderstanding  the  pro- 
minence due  rather  to  the  will,  and  to  imply  that  in- 
struction, instead  of  devotion,  is  the  principal  object  of 
worship.  As  we  read  the  genius  of  the  Lord's  kingdom, 
his  people  come  together  in  worship  rather  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  the  offerings  of  praise,  adoration,  and 
grateful  love,  for  looking  to  the  Lord,  seeking  a  direct 


152 


A  TEAINKD  AND  TKOFESSIONAL  CLERGT. 


influx  of  divine  good  to  their  souls,  and  for  the  quicken- 
ing of  every  holy  imjiulse  of  feeling,  than  for  the  edifica- 
tion of  the  intellect.  In  a  word,  we  regard  the  will 
rather  than  the  understanding,  as  the  principle  mainly 
concerned  in  worship.  The  great  end  to  be  attained  by 
it  we  consider  to  be  the  quickening  of  the  devout  affec- 
tions— the  reinforcement  of  love  to  the  Lord  and  charity 
to  the  neighbor,  and  all  the  minor  graces  of  the  regen- 
erating spirit.  At  the  same  time,  as  the  opening  of  the 
Word  in  its  spiritual  sense,  and  its  application  to  the 
personal  conscience,  conduces  to  the  ends  of  worship, 
60  we  freely  admit  the  propriety  of  such  instruction  on 
such  occasions;  and  as  to  the  dispensers  of  it,  the  natu- 
ral impression  would  be,  tliat  those  would  be  the  best 
qualified  for  it  who  were  most  fully  furnished  with  it, 
and  those  surely  might  be  presumed  to  be  most  in  truth 
who  were  most  in  good,  as  all  genuine  truth  is  from 
genuine  good.  So  far  as  we  can  see,  all  in  the  Church 
are  required  to  be  equally  assiduous  in  the  cultivation  of 
goods  and  truths,  and  all  have  an  equal  interest  in  the 
spiriiual  well-being  of  the  whole  body.  It  is  ordered, 
too,  that  the  gifts  of  each  should  be  made  available  to 
the  behoof  all,  and.  we  regard  it  as  simply  impossible 
that  any  member  of  the  Church  should  be  truly  in  the 
life  and  spirit  of  the  Church,  without  being  able  to  im- 
part useful  instruction  in  some  form  to  his  brethren. 
He  can  no  more  lack  this  ability  than  a  healthy  organ 
in  a  healthy  human  body  can  fail  to  elaborate  its  use  in 
the  general  economy  of  the  system.  Nothing  can  be 
more  apropos  in  this  connexion,  than  Paul's  illustra- 
tion ; — "  From  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joiued  to- 
gether, and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  sup- 
plieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure 
of  every  part,  raaketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edi- 
fying of  itself  in  love."  That  there  will  ever  be  some 
in  every  society  better  qualified  to  impart  instruction 
than  others,  is  beyond  question  ;  and  if  so,  let  them 
chiefly  exercise  the  function.  But  let  them  not,  on  this 
account,  make  an  exclusive  prerogative  of  what  is  essen- 
tially a  common  privilege  and  a  common  duty. 


A  TRA.IXED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGT.  153 

From  what  we  have  now  said,  it  will  be  seen  that  we 
think  little  of  tlie  force  of  the  argument  drawn  from  the 
supposed  parallel  case  of  the  doctor  and  the  lawyer.  The 
cases  are  not  parallel.  The  vocations  of  the  doctor  and  the 
lawyer  require  of  necessity  the  attainment  of  knowledges 
diverse  from  those  of  the  mass  of  the  conimnnity  among 
whom  their  respective  professions  are  practiced.  A 
peculiar  training  is  therefore  requisite  in  their  case,  be- 
cause the  end  is  peculiar.  They  are  to  do  what  their 
patients  and  clients  cannot  be  expected  to  do,  and  they 
are  to  prepare  themselves  accordingly.  But  how  is  it  in 
a  Church  ?  What  is  a  Church  society  in  its  essential 
nature  i  Is  it  not  an  association  formed  for  purposes  in 
which  every  member  has  the  same  interest  with  every 
other  member  ?  Is  there  not  the  utmost  community  of 
object  prevailing  among  those  who  belong  to  it  ?  And 
is  not  this  object  one  that  has  relation  mainly  to  life  ?  Is 
not  the  Church  rather  a  school  of  life  than  a  semi- 
nary of  science?  What  interest  have  the  so-called 
teachers  apart  from  that  of  the  taught  ?  What  does  it 
behoove  one  to  know  which  it  does  not  another  i  How 
then  can  there  be  a  basis  for  a  distinction  of  classes  simi- 
lar to  those  of  physic  and  law  ^  Or  with  what  justice 
can  the  peculiarity  in  the  one  sphere  of  use  be  offset 
against  the  community  in  the  other  ?  As  to  the  extem- 
pore character  of  the  instructions  given  under  the  sup- 
posed order  of  things,  our  correspondent  surely  will  not 
deny  that  under  a  glowing  state  of  heavenly  affection 
there  may  be  and  often  is,  not  only  a  special  interior 
illustration,  but  a  freedom,  fluency,  and  pertinency  of 
speech,  that  the  most  elaborate  preparation  from  the 
memory  can  scarcely  approach.  But  how  absurd  the 
supposition  that  the  Divine  influx  should  inspire  doctors 
and  lawyers  to  act  the  improvisator  in  this  manner  in 
the  discharge  of  their  professional  duties !  The  com- 
parison is  altogether  inappropriate,  as  in  the  one  case  we 
are  dealing  with  an  art  or  science  which  is  necessarily 
limited  to  a  class,  and  which  must  be  acquired  by  a 
special  course  of  training ;  whereas,  in  the  other,  we 
14" 


154 


A  TRAINED  AND  TROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


contemplate  a  form  of  spiritual  and  moral  life,  the  fiinc- 
-tions  and  oblij^ations  of  which  pertain  equally  to  every 
individual.  We  must  of  course  be  aware  that  the  carry- 
ing out  of  the  views  now  advanced  necessarily  supposes 
a  very  altered  state  of  things  in  the  Church,  from  the 
past  or  present ;  and  we  are  entirely  willing  that  our 
argument  should  be  taken  with  all  the  abatement  that 
may  accrue  to  it  from  the  imputation  of  being  iin2:)racti- 
cable  in  the  present  condition  of  things  in  the  world. 
"We  are  deeply  sensible  that  the  standard  of  life  is  alto- 
gether too  low  to  allow  ns  to  cherish  the  hope  that 
existing  usages  and  institutes  may  be  dispensed  with  for 
a  long  time  to  come ;  nor,  as  we  have  already  said,  have 
we  any  disposition  to  precipitate  a  new  era,  in  this  re- 
spect, in  the  Church.  But  we  have  no  reserve  in  pro- 
posing the  subject  for  consideration.  We  hesitate  not  to 
offer  suggestions.  A  commencement  must  be  made  at 
some  time  or  other.  It  will  devolve  upon  some  one  to 
broach  the  topic  for  the  first,  and  we  know  not  that  it  is 
ever  too  early  to  announce  the  ideas  which  are  destined 
in  the  end  to  counteract  the  evils  of  long  established  in- 
stitutions. In  the  present  case  we  have  no  debate  with 
our  correspondent  as  to  the  fact  of  the  usefulness  of  the 
clergy  in  the  present  order  of  things  ecclesiastical  in  all 
Christian  countries,  nor  do  we  question  for  a  moment 
that  the  more  richly  endowed,  intellectually  and  spiritu- 
ally, are  the  Pastors  of  Churches,  the  more  useful  will 
they  be.  On  this  head  we  can  aflbrd  to  make  the  am- 
plest concessions.  But  the  true  question  is,  first,  whether 
the  distinction  of  clergy  and  laity  as  everywhere  under- 
stood, rests  upon  a  solid  basis  of  truth  ;  and,  secondly, 
whether  taking  every  thing  into  view,  the  disadvantages 
attending  the  present  system  are  not  such  as  to  outweigh 
its  advantages.  The  latter  proposition  may  be  pre- 
sumed, if  the  former  be  admitted,  for  what  is  not  war- 
ranted by  the  Word,  is  not  to  be  expected  to  be  expedi- 
ent on  the  whole.  For  ourselves  we  see  abundant 
grounds  of  doubt  on  both  these  points.  We  see  the 
great  body  of  the  Church  virtually  released  from  duties 


A  TRAINED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


155 


and  uses  which  cannot  in  our  view  be  justly  alienated  or 
made  over  to  any  other  party.  We  see  under  the  pre- 
sent system  a  sinking  of  individual  responsibility  in  the 
prominence  given,  and  the  importance  attached  to  cleri- 
cal agency,  which  cannot  but  be  eventually  attended 
with  disastrous  effects  upon  the  best  interests  of  the 
Lord's  kingdom  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.  We  see  in 
this  system  the  germ  of  all  that  hierarchy  which  has  been 
from  the  earliest  ages  of  the  Christian  Church  the  bane 
of  its  prosperity,  and  the  presage  of  similar  evils  in  the 
Church  of  the  Xew  Jerusalem.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  subject  has  weighed  heavily  on  our  thoughts, 
and  as  we  have  believed  so  have  we  spoken.  It  is  on 
this  ground  that  we  would  plant  our  reply  to  what  is 
urged  in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  above  letter  in  respect 
to  our  non-concern  in  the  Church's  future.  We  confess 
to  no  little  surprise  on  this  head.  "  We  have  only  to 
provide  for  our  own  wants,  and  as  well  and  wisely  as 
we  can.  When  the  ISTew  Jerusalem  attains  its  glory 
there  will,  perhaps,  be  no  doctors,  and  no  lawyers,  and 
no  teachers  such  as  we  (now)  require,  but  what  have  we 
to  do  with  that  ?  Is  it  not  to  us  a  matter  of  profitless 
speculation  ?"  It  is  surely  the  part  of  charity  to  consult 
the  well-being  of  those  who  shall  come  after  us  as  well 
as  to  study  the  good  of  our  coevals.  It  is  no  matter  of 
"  profitless  speculation"  to  determine  the  principles 
which  should  govern  the  Church  in  its  ecclesiastical  re- 
lations in  our  own  day,  and  if  these  principles  are  sound, 
we  ought  to  feel  an  anxious  desire  that  their  operation 
may  be  perpetuated.  Surely  we  cannot  be  true  to  our 
better  promptings,  and  still  be  indifferent  to  the  highest 
welfare  of  the  Church  in  aftei-  ages.  Can  we  see  evils 
in  existence  in  the  Church  of  the  present,  and  not  desire 
to  have  them  eradicated  from  the  Church  of  the  future  ? 
Shall  we  not  aim  to  hand  down  this  precious  inheritance 
to  posterity  purged  to  the  utmost  of  imperfections  and  in 
a  form  most  prolific  of  blessing  ?  At  the  same  time 
there  is  a  fallacy  in  the  idea  that  we  cannot  consult 
the  interests  of  the  future  without  violently  abrogating 


156  A  TRAINED  AND  PROFESSIONAL  CLERGY. 


the  present.  It  is  not  necessary  to  "  abolish  the  clergy 
T^oto,"  in  order  to  secure  the  benefits  lor  our  posterity, 
which  we  would  fain  compass.  All  that  we  propose  is, 
that  the  subject  should  be  candidly  weighed,  and  if  any 
real  errors  or  evils  are  indicated,  that  they  should  be 
gradually  corrected,  as  the  wisdom  of  the  Church  shall 
deem  expedient.  Is  there  any  thing  ultra  or  extrava- 
gant in  this  ? 

{e)  Instead  of  repeating  our  former  arguments  on  this 
head,  we  will  propose  one  query  to  our  friend,  the  writer 
of  the  letter.  In  the  II.  D.  (No.  315)  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing : — "  With  respect  to  priests,  their  duty  is  to  teach 
men  the  way  to  heaven,  and  likewise  to  lead  them  there- 
in. They  are  to  teach  them  according  to  the  doctrine 
of  their  Cliurch,  {ecdesioi  suce^)  which  is  derived  from 
the  Word  of  God  ;  and  to  lead  them  to  live  according  to 
that  doctrine."  What  is  to  be  understood  by  the  phrase 
"  their  Church  "  in  this  connexion  ?  It  will  be  seen  in- 
deed that  theforce  of  the  expression  is  altogether  lost  in 
our  translation,  which  renders  it  "  the  Church  •,"  but  we 
have  given  the  original,  wJiich,  in  the  letter  is  too  plain 
to  be  misunderstood.  What  is  its  fair  interpretation? 
Does  it  not  imply  that  the  priests  or  ministers  of  the 
several  Churches  in  Christendom,  as  the  Lutheran,  the 
Calvinistic,  the  Episcopal,  the  Baptist,  the  Methodist, 
&c.,  are  to  teach  according  to  the  tenets  which  these 
bodies  respectively  hold  as  being,  in  their  view,  derived 
from  the  Word  of  God  ?  If  so,  it  obviously  confirms 
our  construction  of  the  whole  article,  and  this  impres- 
sion is  strengthened  by  the  consideration  that  a  monar- 
chical form  of  government  for  the  State  is  as  unequivo- 
cally prescribed  as  is  a  priestly  order  for  the  Church. 
Our  correspondent  will  no  doubt  find  some  way  of  get- 
ting smoothly  over  the  difficulty,  but  there  it  stands,  and 
many  there  are,  ourselves  among  tlie  number,  who  do 
not  know  how  to  reconcile  it  with  such  a  view  of  the 
whole  chapter  as  the  writer  contends  for. 


THE  PARTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF 
LIBERTY. 

[N.  C.  Kcpos.,  March,  1852.] 

"We  insert  the  following  from  an  esteemed  brother  at 
the  West,  because  we  are  always  happy  to  receive  the 
friendly  hints  of  brethren  in  the  Church,  and  because  it 
affords  us  an  opportunity  of  adding  a  few  words  on  the 
general  subject  to  which  the  writer  alludes. 

M  C  ,  Feb.  1, 1852. 

DEAR  SIB, 

Inclosed  you  have  two  dollars  for  the  current  year  of  the  Repository. 
Rlr.  S.,  whose  subscription  I  sent  last  year,  ia  not  disposed  to  renew  ; 
the  course  of  the  Repository  the  past  year  has  not  been  attractive  to 
novitates. 

For  myself  I  have  been  highly  interested  in  the  discussions  on  the 
subject  of  Church  order,  though  they  appear  to  have  occupied  too 
large  a  space.  I  cannot,  however,  apart  from  this,  acknowledge  my- 
self satisfied  with  the  style  of  most  of  the  articles  on  these  subjects. 
Each  party  seems  to  view  but  one  side  of  the  questions  at  issue,  and  to 
be  anxious  rather  to  present  their  own  partial  conceptions,  than  to  de- 
velop those  universal  principles  in  which  truths  of  every  phase  are 
seen  to  harmonize.  Hence  but  little  progress  is  made  ;  few  are  satis- 
fied, and  if  any  are  silenced,  it  is  because  they  are  weary  of  the  sub- 
ject, rather  than  convinced  or  enlightened.  Each  party  appears  to 
withhold  the  light  from  the  very  part  of  its  position  which  is  earnestly 
questioned  by  the  other  side  —  whether  from  conscious  weakness  or 
distrust  does  not  clearly  appear. 

The  party  of  "  order"  are  careful  to  say  very  little  about  the  source 
of  their  authority,  or  of  those  grand  principles  of  freedom  of  thought 
and  freedom  of  utterance  which  are  supposed  to  conflict  with  their  pre- 
tensions. On  the  other  hand,  the  partizans  of  "  liberty"  are  equally 
silent  upon  questions  of  organization,  subordination,  and  authority, 
which  are  generally  held  to  be  essential  to  united  and  harmonious  ac- 
tion, and  when  pressed  with  quotations  from  Swedenborg,  have  been 
fain  to  appeal  to  other  quotations  from  the  same  authority,  with 
scarcely  an  attempt  to  reconcile  them. 

Now  I  hold  that  such  a  state  of  things  is  disgraceful,  especially 
when  taken  in  connection  with  the  pretensions  of  the  New  Church  to 
superior  illumination,  and  I  do  most  sincerely  hope  and  pray  that  this 


158    THE  PARTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY. 


one-sided  business  may  cease.  Let  none  presume  to  dogmatize  till  he 
can  cover  the  whole  ground,  and  witliout  evasion  harmoniously  recon- 
cile order  with  freedom,  the  rights  of  man  with  his  duties,  as  involved 
in  this  question. 

A  slight  attempt  was  made  to  accomplish  this  in  the  argument  from 
analogy  which  formed  a  part  of  the  Majority  report  on  this  subject  to 
the  Seventh  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Michigan  and  Northern  Indi- 
ana Association,  which  report  you  were  pleased  to  notice  in  a  very 
favorable  manner.  I  think  that  the  principles  presented  in  that  report, 
if  properly  developed,  will  be  found  to  meet  the  difficulties  of  the  sub- 
ject in  the  most  satisfactory  manner.  I  am  aware  that  some  portions 
of  it  have  been  subjected  to  an  unfavorable  criticism  in  the  (English) 
New  Church  Review,  and  for  some  time  I  contemplated  a  reply,  in 
which  I  should  have  shown,  that  in  the  most  important  matter  of  dif- 
ference the  report  was  misunderstood  by  the  reviewer  ;  but  want  of 
time,  and  finally  the  withdrawal  of  the  copy  of  the  review  itself  pre- 
vented me. 

However,  should  the  subject  be  pursued  in  the  Repository,  and 
should  circumstances  favor  me,  I  will,  with  your  permission,  endeavor, 
in  a  brief  article,  to  present  the  matter  anew,  with  such  further  expla- 
nations and  developments  as  may  seem  advisable. 

I  remain,  very  truly  yours,  R.  H.  M. 

REMARKS. 

We  Lave  before  taken  occasion  to  express  some  degree 
of  snrjDrise  that  the  thorough  discussion  of  the  sub- 
ject of  church  order  in  our  pages  should  have 
])roved  so  distasteful  to  a  large  portion  of  our  readers. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  tlie  subject  is  intrinsically  im- 
portant, and  therefore  entitled  to  the  most  candid  and 
serious  consideration  of  every  member  of  the  church. 
Nor  do  we  see  any  reason  to  doubt  that  views  have  been 
held  and  assumptions  put  forth,  in  connection  with  this 
theme,  which  it  was  perfectly  proper  should  be  called  in 
question,  and  submitted  to  "the  ordeal  of  the  Word  and 
the  writings.  So  far  as  our  own  humble  essays  are  con- 
cerned, this  is  what  we  liave  attempted  to  do.  Others 
who  have  shared  in  our  sentiments,  have  ably  seconded 
our  eflbrts,  and  subjected  the  opposite  views  to  a  search- 
ing analysis.  Meantime  we  have  freely  opened  our 
pages  to  the  advocates  of  the  prevailing  "  order,"  and 
given  them  every  opportunity  to  defend  and  confirm 


THE  PARTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY.  159 


their  positions.  So  far  no  just  exceptions,  we  think,  can 
be  taken  to  our  course.  No  one  can  object  to  our  giving 
a  lair  hearing  to  both  sides  of  all  important  but  disput- 
ed topics.  The  exception  taken,  howevei",  by  our  corres- 
pondent, is  not  so  much  to  the  fact  of  the  discussion  as 
to  the  mode  in  which  it  has  been  conducted.  Each 
party  has  taken  a  one-sided  view  of  the  matter,  and  aim- 
ed to  present  "  its  own  partial  conceptions,  rather  than 
to  develop  those  universal  principles  in  which  truths  of 
every  phase  are  seen  to  harmonize."  This  may  be  so, 
but  such  a  process  of  umpirage  is  usually  the  result  of 
the  successive  pleadings  of  the  parties  concerned,  when 
each  has  brought  forth  and  set  in  array  the  strong  rea- 
sons upon  which  its  opinions  are  based.  The  first  object 
in  such  a  discussion  is  generally  to  assail  some  establish- 
ed error  of  faith  or  institution,  and  to  expose  the  fallacy 
of  the  reasonings  on  which  it  rests.  This  can  seldom  be 
done  without  converting  mild  discussion  into  excited 
controversy ;  for  there  are  usually  so  many  interests 
wrapped  up  in  existing  systems,  that  the  least  ap- 
proach to  an  investigation  awakens  at  once  the  signal  of 
alarm,  and  the  whole  force  of  the  citadel  sallies  forth  to 
repel  the  invaders — who  'must  be  enemies  of  course— 
from  the  consecrated  precincts.  The  self  styled  assailed 
can  seldom  see  any  other  than  sinister  motives  in  the  as- 
sailants, as  they  are  invidiously  termed,  and  the  hard 
measure  of  censure  and  reproach  which  they  are  prone 
to  deal  out,  no  doubt  tends  very  much  to  awaken 
somewhat  of  a  similar  spirit,  and  both  parties  become 
more  are  less  blinded  to  the  real  merits  of  each  other's 
positions.  In  this  way  the  spirit  of  charity  is  wounded, 
and  the  interests  of  truth  for  a  time  suffer.  But  in  the 
meanwhile  light  has  been  elicited  from  the  collision  of 
views,  and  when  the  excitement  of  the  occasion  has 
passed  away,  some  more  dispassionate  mind  takes  up  the 
subject  of  debate  from  a  higher  stand-point,  and  brings 
it  precisely  to  such  an  issue  as  our  friend  desiderates  in 
the  above  letter. 
Of  the  two  parties  hinted  at  and  designated  by  our 


160  THE  PAKTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY. 


correspondent,  we  should  ourselves  undoubtedly  fall  into 
that  of  "  liberty,"  and  of  this  he  says,  that  the  partizans 
are  "  silent  upon  questions  of  organization,  subordination, 
and  authority,  which  are  generally  held  to  be  essential 
to  united  and  harmonious  action,  and  when  pressed  witli 
quotations  from  Swedenborg,  have  been  ftiin  to  appeal  to 
other  quotations  from  the  same  authority,  with  scarcely 
an  attempt  to  reconcile  them."  Now  to  this  we  have 
something  to  offer  by  way  of  reply.  It  would  be  strange 
indeed  if  we  had  much  to  propound  of  the  "nature  of  or- 
ganization, subordination,  and  authority ;"  when  this  is 
the  very  rock  on  which,  in  our  view,  the  Church  has 
been  in  danger  of  splitting,  and  of  which  we  have  been 
anxious  to  warn  her.  What  system  of  external  "  organ- 
ization, subordination,  and  authority"  have  we  to  pro- 
pose, when  tlie  very  drift  of  all  our  reasonings  has  been 
to  show  that  charity  is  itself  an  essential  organizing 
principle,  and  that  no  man  or  society  can  possibly  be  in 
the  genuine  cliarity  of  the  Church,  without  being  actual- 
ly organized  in  l  efereuce  to  every  other  man  and  society 
that  is  under  the  influence  of  tlie  same  principle.  On 
this  head  we  beg  leave  to  introduce  a  paragraph  from  an 
article  of  our  own,  published  under  the  signature  of 
"  Eusebius"  in  the  Kepository  for  Jan.  1S50.  "Every 
society  (in  the  jS'ew  Church)  is  to  be  left  in  the  fullest 
enjoyment  of  its  freedom  in  the  management  of  its  own 
,  concerns.  It  is  responsible  to  no  power  or  tribunal  save 
that  of  the  Lord,  except  just  so  far  as  every  organ  and 
member  of  the  human  body  is  responsible  to  the  whole, 
as  being  a  component  part  of  the  whole  and  required  to 
conspire,  in  its  place  and  office,  to  the  production  of  the 
general  unity  uf  effect  in  the  whole.  So  far  as  one 
life,  in  its  orderly  influx,  pervades  and  governs  the  en- 
tire body  of  the  Church,  so  far  thei'e  will  necessarily  be 
a  sympathetic  and  reciprocal  co-working  of  its  multi- 
form constituents,  all  tending  to  one  paramount  result, 
and  that  whether  there  be  any  such  thing  as  conventions 
or  councils,  or  not.  If  the  Divine  influx  be  rightly  and 
adequately  received  by  any  organism,  whether  phy- 


THE  PARTY  OF  ORDEK  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY.  161 


sical  or  spiritual,  there  will  be  of  necessity  a  consentane- 
ous action  of  the  several  component  parts,  tending  to  one 
ruling  end,  just  as  real  and  as  effective  as  if  it  had  pro- 
ceeded from  the  voluntary  and  conscious  purpose  of  those 
parts.  An  associated  religious  body,  i.  e.,  a  body  asso- 
ciated by  the  j)i'ofession  of  the  same  faith,  existing  in 
true  order,  may  be  considered  as  having  a  cerebellum 
which  presides  over  all  its  involuntary  motions,  as  well 
as  a  cerebrum  that  controls  the  voluntary,  and  the  func- 
tions of  the  former  are  no  less  conducive  to  the  weal  of 
the  whole  than  if  they  were  governed  by  the  direct  con- 
scious volition  of  the  cerebral  intelligence." 

Now  in  this  we  deem  ourselves  to  have  asserted  a 
genuine  principle  of  the  ISTew  Church,  and  if  so  it  is  en- 
titled to  be  imperative  upon  our  faith ;  if  not,  let  its  fal- 
lacy be  shown.  But  it  will  perhaps  be  said  that  though 
the  principal  is  correct,  yet  our  inference  from  it  is  un- 
sound— that  an  internal  organization  wnll  necessarily 
ultimate  itself  in  an  external  one,  and  thus  we  shall  of 
necessary  consequence  have  essentially  that  visible 
church  order  which  is  contended  for.  To  this  we  reply, 
that  there  can  be  no  end  to  be  answered  by  an  external 
organization  except  an  end  of  use^  for  use  is  what  is  con- 
stantly regarded  by  the  charity  of  the  church  as  an  in- 
ternal organizing  principle.  And  what  is  the  grand  use 
w^hich  the  life  of  the  church  incessantly  breathes  after 
and  effects  ?  Is  it  not  the  increase  and  propagation  of 
itself?  Is  it  not  the  diffusion  and  multiplication  of  its 
truths  and  goods  ?  Consequently  whatever  of  associated 
or  co-operative  efforts  may  be  requisite  for  this  end, 
and  which  shall  not  trench  upon  the  personal  freedom, 
or  supersede  the  individual  action,  of  each  member,  is 
entirely  proper,  expedient,  and  wise.  But  this  conces- 
sion will  afford  no  warrant  for  any  legislative  council  or 
convention.  The  Church  has  nothing  to  legislate  about. 
Its  laws  are  all  made  and  have  only  to  be  lived.  The 
sole  uses  to  be  attained  by  occasional  or  stated  meetings 
of  New  Church  men  or  New  Church  societies  are  those 
which  respect  the  ordering  of  its  worship,  the  promotion 


162  THE  PARTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY. 

of  its  spiritual  life,  and  the  widest  dissemination  of 
its  doctrines  as  embodied  in  the  writings  of  the  Church. 
The  creation  of  a  ministry  is  no  part  of  the  functions  of 
such  meetings.  The  ministry  is  entirely  and  exclusively 
the  offspring  of  the  several  societies  composing  the 
larger  bodies,  and  these  bodies  are  merely  voluntary  as- 
semblages meeting  from  time  to  time  as  convenience  of 
locality  may  dictate  without  being  organically  consoli- 
dated into  permanent  ecclesiastical  unions,  analogous  to 
the  political  confederacies  which  we  call  States.  The 
claim  on  the  part  of  conventional  bodies  to  be  the  true 
source  of  ministerial  power  can  never  be  allowed  with- 
out at  the  same  time  planting  the  seed  from  which  the 
tree  of  hierarcliy  will  be  sure  to  grow.  The  ministry  is 
evermore  prior  to  all  bodies  composed  in  whole  or  in 
part  of  ministers.  Whatever,  then,  be  the  use  of  con- 
ventions, it  is  something  apart  from  the  creation  of  a 
clergy.  But  upon  this  point  we  have  been  sufficiently 
explicit  on  former  occasions. 

Our  leading  idea  on  organization  will  be  made  still 
clearer  by  referring  again  to  the  prototypal  form  and 
fabric  of  the  human  body.  What  were  more  strange  or 
outre  than  to  imagine  the  different  organs  and  viscera 
taking  counsel  together  and  entering  into  a  compact  to 
act  in  unison  in  producing  the  normal  effects  of  the 
several  functions  ?  What  is  the  use  of  such  a  compact 
when  every  portion  of  the  body  performs  its  office  by 
virtue  of  its  being  in  tlie  body  and  governed  by  its  influ- 
ent life  ?  So  in  the  spiritual  body,  the  Church.  Every 
one  by  living  and  acting  in  his  place  most  perfectly  ful- 
fils his  use,  and  works  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole. 
What  other  organization  is  needed  in  the  latter  body 
any  more  than  in  the  former  ?  Occasional  or  even 
stated  meetings  within  their  certain  territorial  limits, 
for  consultation  or  co-operation  does  not  amount  to  any 
external  organization  of  the  Church  in  strict  propriety  of 
speech. 

They  are  more  nearly  allied  to  the  great  benevolent 
societies  of  the  age,  which  would  be  acting  a  strange 


THE  PARTY  OF  OKDEK  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LTBERTT.  163 


part  if  they  were  to  identify  themselves  with  the  church, 
and  maintain  that  their  organization  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church.  All  genuine  New  Church  associa- 
tions and  conventions  we  hold  to  be  of  a  similar  charac- 
ter— simply  an  expedient  for  furthering  the  interests  of 
the  church  without  aspiring  to  form  an  essential  part  of 
its  constitution. 

What  then  means  our  correspondent  by  saying  that 
the  "  partizans  of  liberty  are  silent  upon  questions  of  or- 
ganization, subordination  and  authority."  What  shall 
we  say  about  them  ?  What  is  to  be  organized  ?  What 
is  to  be  subordinated,  and  to  what  ?  What  authority  is 
to  be  assumed  and  acknowledged  ?  Can  he  or  will  he 
define  his  drift  on  these  points  ? 

But  he  intimates  again  that  the  party  in  question 
"  when  pressed  with  quotations  from  Swedenborg,  have 
been  fain  to  appeal  to  other  quotations  from  the  same 
authority,  with  scarcely  an  attempt  to  reconcile  them." 
And  why  should  we  attempt  to  reconcile  them  ?  What 
have  we  to  do  to  assume  the  task  which  devolves  on  our 
opponents  ?  We  urge,  upon  the  authority  of  our  great 
teacher,  one  grand  fundamental  principle — to  wit,  that 
every  man  of  the  church  is  a  church  in  the  least  form. 
The  principle  involves  in  effect  the  whole  of  our  positions 
on  church  order.  It  is  clear,  deliberate,  distinct,  indu- 
bitable. Against  it  a  man  may  heap  up  detached  quo- 
tations till  doomsday,  and  Avhat  does  it  avail  ?  Here 
stands  the  inexpugnable  principle,  and  by  this  principle 
stand  we.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  quotations  till 
the  truth  of  this  principle  is  denied  and  its  fallacy 
shown.  So  long  as  the  principle  remains  unshaken,  we 
know  that  no  quotation,  rightly  construed,  can  countervail 
it.  If  there  appears  to  be  a  literal  conflict,  that  is  the 
concern  of  our  opponents,  and  not  ours.  We  recognize 
no  conflict,  no  discrepancy.  In  our  view  all  is  consis- 
tent and  harmonious.  On  this  ground  we  await  calmly 
the  result.  Hitherto  there  has  been  the  most  careful 
shunning  of  contact  with  the  principle  above  stated. 
The  writers  on  the  other  side  have  played  around  and 
around  it,  but  have  never  ventured  directly  to  encounter 


164  THE  PARTY  OF  ORDER  AND  THE  PARTY  OF  LIBERTY. 

it.  What  wonder  that  so  little  progress  is  made  in 
the  discussion  when  our  main  averment  is  left  argumen- 
tatively  untouched,  and  merely  a  host  of  quotations,  like 
those  accumulated  by  Mr.  Cabell  in  reply  to  A.  "W.,  are 
arrayed  against  it?  To  the  force  of  all  such  quotations 
we  are  utterly  insensible  so  long  as  the  central  fortress 
of  our  reasoning  is  winked  out  of  sight. 

To  the  judgment  of  our  readers,  then,  we  submit 
whether  the  intimations  of  our  correspondent  are  well 
founded.  The  discussion  has,  indeed,  in  a  sense  been 
one-sided^  for  on  our  part  it  has  been  what  we  deem  the 
advocacy  of  the  side  of  truth  against  the  side  of  error, 
and  in  this  controversy  we  do  not  care  to  be  found  on 
both  sides.  It  were  a  singular  imputation  to  have  cast 
upon  Luther  and  his  compeers,  that  in  exposing  the  abo- 
minations of  Popery  that  they  took  entirely  a  one-sided 
view  of  the  subject.  They  would  undoubtedly  at  once 
have  owned  to  the  charge  while  they  greatly  wondered 
at  it.  If  it  be  said  that  our  positions  are  too  sweeping, 
that  we  would  abolish  what  is  good  as  well  as  what  is 
evil  in  the  existing  order  of  things,  we  can  only  say 
that  we  would  be  grateful  for  specifications  on  this  head. 
We  would  not  abolish  meetings  nor  ministries.  We 
would  not  dispense  with  order  nor  form.  But  we  would 
plead  for  true  order  and  true  form — for  right  meetings 
and  right  ministries — and  what  these  are  in  contradistinc- 
tion from  those  hitherto  established  cannot  but  be  gather- 
ed from  the  drift  of  what  we  have  so  abundantly  said  on 
the  subject.  Should  there,  however,  be  any  point  on 
which  we  could  be  desired  to  speak  more  explicitly,  we 
should  be  happy  to  respond  when  the  desideratum  is  in- 
dicated. 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


[N'.  C  Repos..  April  to  Sept.] 

We  have  for  some  time  been  conscious  of  a  prompt- 
ing to  broach  in  some  way,  in  our  pages,  the  subject  of 
the  present  communication,  as  we  have  no  doubt  that 
it  may  be  discussed  as  a  department  of  New  Church 
duty  in  a  New  Church  spirit.  Large  numbers  of  our 
brethren  of  the  church  residing  in  the  Southern  States 
are  connected  in  one  way  or  other  with  the  institution, 
and  as  the  moral  sentiment  of  the  North,  representing 
both  the  New  Church  and  the  Old,  is  at  this  day  serious- 
ly and  somewhat  sternly  interrogating  the  whole  spirit 
and  genius  of  the  system,  it  seems  no  more  than  is  due 
from  the  courtesy  of  fellow  recipients  of  the  heavenly 
doctrines  that  they  should  account  to  each  other  for  any 
modes  of  thinking  or  acting  which  are  calculated  to  give 
offence  or  wound  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love.  If  such 
a  requisition  be  made  in  the  spirit  of  meekness,  with  no 
intention  to  denounce,  vilify,  or  irritate,  but  simply  from 
the  promptings  of  the  great  law  of  charity,  and  with  the 
most  sincere  design  to  give  a  candid  hearing  to  every 
argument  or  apology  that  may  be  offered  in  behalf  of 
the  cause  which  they  are  upholding,  we  are  unable  to 
see  in  this  any  real  ground  of  complaint  or  disaffection 
on  the  part  of  our  Southern  friends.  "We  are  well  aware 
indeed  that  the  subject  has  not  always  been  broached  in 
a  manner  adapted  to  secure  a  kindly  or  even  patient  at- 
tention on  the  part  of  slaveholders,  and  we  can  make  all 
charitable  allowance  for  the  sensitiveness  with  which 
every  thing  in  the  form  of  remonstrance,  however  re- 
spectful, or  even  of  discussion,  however  candid,  is  prone 
to  be  met.  But  that  this  sensitiveness  should  be  so  in- 
tense in  the  minds  of  Newchurchmen  as  to  make  them 
frown  upon  the  attempt  to  canvass  its  merits  upon  pure- 


166 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


ly  moral  grounds,  we  cannot  well  conceive  ;  nor  will  we 
allow  ourselves,  without  evidence,  to  anticipate  a  sinister 
reception  of  what  our  pages  may  contain  on  the  subject. 
"We  will  not  look  for  an  entertainment  of  our  suggestions 
at  the  hand  of  our  brethren  which  would  imply  a  secret 
misgiving  as  to  the  intrinsic  character  of  the  institu- 
tution  which  they  are  engaged  in  upholding. 

For  ourselves,  we  are  free  to  say  that  we  regard  the 
system  of  slavery,  as  it  exists  in  the  Soutliern  States,  as 
an  evil  of  such  magnitude  as  imperatively  to  appeal  for 
a  remedy  to  the  consciences  of  all  concerned  in  any  way 
in  its  support  and  perpetuation.  But  while  we  say  this 
we  are  at  the  same  time  conscious  of  no  acerbity  of 
spirit  towards  the  i^ersons  of  those  who  are  engaged  in 
upholding  it.  We  say  it  in  full  view  of  all  the  peculiar 
circumstances  that  go  to  qualifiy  the  evil  as  far  as  the 
agency  of  individual  supporters  is  concerned  ;  and  we  say 
it  under  the  firm  conviction  of  deep  and  merciful  de- 
signs, on  the  part  of  Divine  Providence,  hereafter  to  be 
gloriously  developed,  bearing  upon  the  destiny  of  the 
colored  race — designs  which  will  have  the  effect  to  co:i- 
vert  their  residence  in  this  land  to  the  most  signal  bless- 
ing that  could  have  befallen  them.  Nevertheless  we 
clearly  perceive  a  great  moral  evil  and  wrong  in  the  sys- 
tem, against  which  we  are  inwardly  moved  to  lift  up  a 
voice  of  protest,  and  to  bring  the  question  home,  as  one 
of  practical  import  to  e\  ery  receiver  of  the  ISTew  Church, 
whether  there  is  not  something  positive  for  him  to  do  in 
effecting  its  removal.  In  thus  coming  before  our 
brethren  of  the  slave  States,  we  should  feel  that  we  were 
greatly  wronged  if  met  by  an  ill  construction  of  motives. 
We  are  conscious  of  nothing  that  should  give  offence. 
We  have  no  railing  accusations  to  bring  against  any. 
We  feel  the  drawing  of  a  kind  and  christian  affection  to- 
wards our  brethren.  We  think,  indeed,  we  see  reason  to 
fear  that  their  spiritual  states  may  be  injured  by  the  rela- 
tion in  which  they  stand  to  an  evil  thing,  tinder  this 
impression,  we  come  to  them  in  a  spirit  of  meekness, 
and  virtually  say,  "  Come,  brethren,  let  us  reason  to- 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  167 


gether  of  this  momentous  theme.  Let  us  see  whether 
possibly  we  may  not  suggest  to  you  some  considerations 
deserving  of  serious  thought.  But  do  not  at  the  out- 
set of  the  conference,  count  us  your  enemies  because  we 
propose  it — because  we  wish  to  open  our  minds  with 
fraternal  freedom  on  a  point  that  weighs  heavily  with  us, 
and  which,  in  our  judgment,  ought  thus  to  weigh  with  you. 
If  it  does  not,  pray  show  us  why  it  does  not.  If  it  does, 
expound  to  us  the  measures  you  propose  to  adopt  to  do 
away  the  evil.  As  we  are  willing  and  anxious  to  listen 
to  you,  so  refuse  not  to  lend  an  ear  to  us.  Say  not  that 
it  is  a  topic  with  which  we  have  nothing  to  do.  We  all 
have  to  do  with  each  other's  spiritual  welfare  if  wo 
would  be  faithful  to  the  law  of  love.  We  cannot  proper- 
ly stand  aloof  from  our  brethren  and  forbear  to  utter  a 
word  of  warning  if  we  deem  them  placed  in  circum- 
stances of  danger,  f\nd  where  silence  would  be  recreancy 
to  justice,  afiection  and  truth.  '  Thou  shalt  not  suffer 
sin  u^jon  thy  neighbor,'  is  a  precept  of  wliich  the  literal 
and  spiritual  sense  are  at  one.  Let  us  then  in  all  Chris- 
tian amity  compare  views  on  the  subject,  and  see  how 
far  we  hold  in  common,  and  where,  and  how  fixr  we  di- 
verge from  each  other." 

It  is  in  this  spirit  that  we  approach  the  subject,  and 
we  cannot  but  trust  that  our  aim  will  be  duly  appreciat- 
ed. Let  it  not  be  said  that  though  denizens  of  the 
North  we  are  incompetent  to  treat  the  theme,  from  igno- 
rance of  the  real  posture  of  things  in  the  Southern 
States.  This  is  a  very  deep-seated  impression  with  our 
friends  in  that  region.  It  embodies  itself  in  the  spirit  of 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  recently  received  from 
a  respected  N,  C.  brother  in  Virginia.  "  I  never  yet  saw 
a  Northern  man  who  thoroughly  understood  the  negro 
character — the  relation  of  master  and  slave,  as  it  exists 
here — the  state  of  this  population — and  the  difficulties 
which  environ  the  whole  subject.  As  to  this  matter, 
even  intelligent  and  sincere  men  with  you  seem  to  be 
absolutely  impenetrable."  From  this  position  we  are 
forced  to  dissent.    We  are  utterly  unable  to  see  why  a 


168  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AKD  ABOLITION. 


sound  and  unimpeachable  judgment  of  the  morale  of 
slavery  may  not  be  formed  by  any  man  of  ordinary  in- 
telligence, though  he  may  never  have  set  foot  upon 
Southern  soil,  or  made  himself  master  of  all  the  thou- 
sand-fold details  of  the  system.  And  it  is  only  in  its 
moral  aspect  that  we  propose  to  consider  it.  Its  social 
and  political  bearings  we  leave  to  others.  Its  character, 
as  compared  with  the  perfect  standard  of  "justice, 
goodness,  and  truth,"  is  what  we  would  fain  ascertain, 
and  this  we  do  not  regard  as  an  achievement  requiring  a 
previous  personal  contact  with  the  system  in  its  practical 
working.  The  fact  is,  there  is  an  antecedent  probability 
that  those  who  have  been  born  and  bred  in  the  midst  of 
the  system,  who  have  always  breathed  its  atmosphere, 
and  who  have,  as  it  were,  worn  it  as  a  garment,  are 
more  liable  to  be  blinded  to  its  essential  genius  than 
those  who  view  it  from  without.  But  whether  we  under- 
stand it  in  all  its  length  and  breadth  or  not,  we  deem 
ourselves  sufficiently  acquainted  with  it  to  call  in  ques- 
tion some  of  its  fundamental  principles;  and  to  this 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  objection,  provided  it  be 
done  in  a  j^roper  spirit. 

A  reply  to  our  remarks — and  perhaps  more  than  one 
— may  be  proffered  by  some  of  our  Southern,  or,  pro- 
bably, our  Northern  brethren.  Such  a  reply,  written  in 
the  spirit  of  our  own  essay,  we  shall  most  readily  and 
cordially  insert.  But  we  must  be  allowed  to  insist  that 
it  shall  be  a  reply  to  our  arguments  and  to  no  other — 
that  it  shall  confine  itself  to  the  single  point  in  debate, 
which  is  the  absolute  right  or  wrong  of  slavery,  and  the 
consequent  duty  of  those  engaged  in  its  support.  It  will 
avail  nothing  to  tlie  determination  of  the  grand  question 
to  argue  ever  so  elaborately  that  the  African  race  in  this 
country  is  better  off  in  bondage  than  in  freedom — that  in 
this  state  they  are  for  the  most  part  kindly  treated,  not  over- 
worked in  health,  nor  neglected  in  sickness — that  the  insti- 
tution is  patriarchal  in  its  character,  and  warranted  by  the 
letter  of  holy  writ  (as  is  also  war  and  polygamy)  and  that 
the  schemes  of  abolitionists  are  fraught  with  infinite 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  169 


mischief,  etc.,  etc.  To  some  of  this  we  fully  assent,  and 
therefore  it  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  it.  As  to  other 
items  we  might  be  willing  to  consider  them  on  another 
occasion,  or  under  a  diflferent  issue,  but  at  present  they 
are  aside  of  the  main  point,  and  we  would  not  waste 
time  or  anxiety  on  irrelevant  topics.  AVe  would  simply 
say,  as  to  one  intimation,  that  we  are  accountable  for  no- 
body's abolition  but  our  own,  and  for  the  genuine  effects 
of  that  we  are  ready  at  any  time  to  be  responsible.  We 
belong  to  no  abolition  society  or  clique,  nor  do  we  speak 
in  the  name  of  any.  Our  sentiments  on  the  subject  flow 
directly  from  our  views  of  the  great  principles  of  recti- 
tude and  truth,  and  as  to  who  may  agree  or  disagree 
with  us — this  is  a  matter  of  indifference. 

The  true  tone  and  temper  in  which  we  think  the  subject 
ought  to  be  broached  is  well  set  forth  by  Mr.  De  Charms  in 
his  valuable  pamphlet  on  Freedom  and  Slavery  :  —  "  The 
wise  and  proper  course  is  to  reason  with  our  brethren  in 
true  political  love — to  show  them,  if  we  can,  their  error 
in  kindness ;  and  by  convincing  their  reason,  so  act  upon 
their  own  wills  as  to  get  them  to  work  themselves  in 
freely  and  rationally  putting  off  an  acknowledged  evil." 
We  are  not  conscious  of  being  governed  by  any  other 
spirit  in  dealing  with  the  subject  in  our  pages.  Xor  do 
we  deem  ourselves  justly  liable  to  the  charge  of  undue  as- 
sumption on  the  score  of  virtue  or  sanctity,  in  thus  prof- 
fering our  sentiments  to  our  brethren.  We  are  deeply 
sensible  of  our  evils  and  infirmities  in  many  respects, 
but  we  humbly  aim  to  put  them  away  when  discovered, 
and  we  do  not  find  a  complete  exemption  from  defects 
in  oui-selves  required  as  a  pre-requisite  to  the  duty  of 
pointing  out,  in  brotherly  kindness,  the  defects  of  others. 

Our  first  intention  was  to  have  peniied  a  formal  article, 
or  series  of  articles,  on  the  subject,  discussing  it  exclu- 
sively on  its  moral  grounds.  Meantime  the  ensuing 
"  Aphorisms"  were  proffered  for  publication,  and  we 
have  concluded  to  make  them  a  text  for  a  series  of 
comments  in  which  our  leading  views  on  the  general 
topic  will  appear. 


170         APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


I. 

Slavery,  in  all  states  where  it  exists,  is  a  public  or  natioual  evil.  This 
is  plain  from  its  origin  in  the  Slave-trade,  -which  is  now  universally 
condemned— from  the  fact  that  it  deprives  meu  of  various  natural 
rights— and  from  several  unhappy  consequences  resulting  from  it. 

This  is,  doubtless,  very  souud  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  we 
should  have  given  more  extension  to  the  evil.  It  is  not 
only  a  "  public  or  natioual,"  but  a  private  or  personal 
evil,  inasmuch  as  it  is  sustained  by  individual  agency. 
The  habit  of  contemplating  it  mainly  as  u  "public  or 
national "  evil,  is  apt  to  induce  an  obliviousness  of  its 
moral  features  which  have  especial  relation  to  the  will 
of  the  individual  slaveholder.  It  is  usually  of  but  little 
accoimt  for  men  to  acknowledge  the  existence  of  public 
or  national  evils,  so  long  as  they  lose  sight  of  the  quota 
which  they,  each  in  their  individual  capacity,  contribute 
to  their  existence  or  continuance.  The  slavery  which 
exists  in  any  slave  State  is  the  slavery  which  has  been 
established  in  legal  form  by  the  collective  will  of  the 
people  of  that  State,  and  no  one  can  blink  the  share  of 
responsibility  which  fairly  pertains  to  him  as  an  up- 
holder of  the  laws  which  uphold  slavery.  It  is  on  the 
ground  of  this  responsibility  that  the  intelligent  aboli- 
tionist of  the  North  appeals  to  his  Southern  brother. 
He  would  kindly  admonish  him  of  the  ftillacy  of  the  at- 
tempt to  stave  oif  the  demands  of  duty  under  the  plea 
that  the  system  is  the  creature  of  the  State,  and  that  un- 
til the  laws  of  the  State  are  repealed,  his  aim  is  powerless 
to  attempt  any  thing  towards  its  removal.  But  in  matters 
of  moral  moment  the  voice  of  duty  is  direct  to  the  man 
rather  than  to  the  citizen.  The  man  stands  in  this  re- 
spect alone  before  God,  and  has  no  counsel  to  take  with 
nesh  and  blood.  The  only  point  to  be  settled  is  whether 
any  enactment,  usage,  or  institution  is  intrinsically  evil, 
and  whether  we,  as  individuals,  have  any  agency  in 
maintaining  it.  Let  these  two  things  be  established, 
and  the  sequence  is  inevitable,  that  a  man  is  solemnly 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  171 


bound  to  ignore,  withdraw,  repudiate,  and  abnegate 
that  agency  which  he  may  previously  have  had  in  sus- 
taining the  system.  In  what  ])rccise  way  this  is  to  be 
done,  we  shall  venture  to  suggest  in  the  sequel. 

II. 

The  State  in  which  slavery  exists  cannot  plead,  in  excuse  of  this  evil, 
the  good  results  which  may  be  shown  to  attend  the  institution,  such  as 
the  civilizing  and  christianizing  of  the  Africans,  &c.  Every  evil  com- 
mitted by  man  has  similar  good  results  educed  from  it  by  the  Divine 
Providence,  and  might  be  excused  on  this  ground. 

Here  again  the  individual  is  merged  in  the  State. 
Why  could  not  the  writer  have  said  :  "  He  who  holds  his 
fellow-man  in  bondage  cannot  plead,  in  excuse  of  this 
evil,  the  good  results  which  may  be  shown  to  attend  the 
institution,"  &c.  With  this  modification  we  accept  and 
endorse  the  aphorism  in  all  cordiality.  The  principle 
here  embodied  is  one  to  which  we  would  especially  invite 
the  attention  of  Southern  j^ewchurchmen.  It  touches 
the  point  where,  if  we  mistake  not,  they  are  extremely 
liable  to  settle  down  in  a  fallacious  view  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  Divine  Providence.  We  cannot  indeed  easily  con- 
ceive that  an  intelligent  ]S[ewchurchman  should  seriously 
and  of  set  purpose  make  the  providential  permission  of 
an  evil  a  plea  for  contented  acquiescence  in  it,  yet  when 
the  current  of  self-interest  runs  strongly  in  that  direction, 
there  is  doubtless  danger  of  practical  adoption  of  such 
a  plea.  "  If  the  Divine  Wisdom  and  love  tolerates  such 
and  such  evils,  why  should  not  we,"'  is  a  language  which 
the  heart  may  utter  when  the  lips  would  shudder  to  pro- 
nounce it.  But  surely  the  ■permissions  of  the  Divine 
Providence  can  never  be  fairly  construed  into  a  sanction 
of  the  reason,  or  a  qiiietus  of  the  conscience,  that  is  con- 
cerned with  them.  The  position  of  the  aphorism,  how- 
ever, is  so  clear  and  express  on  this  head  as  to  preclude 
the  necessity  of  reiteration  or  enforcement  from  us. 


172  APnORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


III. 

Slavery  is  imputable  as  a  sin  in  a  threefold  manner  ;  first,  to  those 
who  are  actually  slave-holders  ;  secondly,  to  those  who  favor  and  uphold 
it  socially  ;  thirdly,  to  those  who  favor  and  uphold  it  politically. 
Every  one  is  in  fault  according  to  the  degree  in  which,  besides  being 
the  holder  of  slaves,  he  asserts  and  defends  the  institution. 

So  far  as  slavery  is  a  sin,  it  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be 
imputable  in  more  than  one  manner,  though  it  may  be 
imputed  to  different  classes  and  in  different  degrees.  This, 
we  presume,  is  the  writer's  meaning,  and  with  a  more 
exact  specification  of  the  first  class  we  should  not  pro- 
bably dissent  from  it.  But  on  this  whole  subject  the 
nicest  distinctions  are  imperatively  required.  "  Slavery 
is  not  imputable  as  a  sin  to  those  who  are  actually  slave- 
holders." Yet  in  a  subsequent  apliorism,  the  writer 
says,  "  Hence  one  may  be  a  slave-holder,  and  yet  be  fully 
exculpated  from  any  share  in  the  evil ;"  and  in  that 
which  immediately  follows  we  read  that,  "  they  have  not 
slavery  imputed  to  them  who  acknowledge  it  to  be  an 
evil,  and  act  for  its  removal."  It  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  the  phrase  "  actual  slave-holders"  requires  explica- 
tion, as  the  character  of  the  slavQ-holdint/  can  never  be 
satisfactorily  determined  apart  from  the  animus  of  the 
slave-Ao^fZer  in  sustaining  the  relation.  Doubtless,  cir- 
cumstances may  exist  which  shall  essentially  change  the 
character  of  that  relation.  Take,  for  instance,  the  case 
of  one  (would  that  their  number  were  increased  a  thou- 
sand fold  !)  who  has  hitherto  been  a  holder  of  slaves,  but 
who  has — no  matter  how — become  convinced  that  the 
relation,  in  the  light  i?i  which  he  has  all  along  vieioed  it, 
and  in  which  it  is  generally  viewed,  is  one  which  cannot 
be  sustained  without  sin,  and  who,  under  the  force  of  this 
conviction,  is  sincerely  and  deeply  desirous  of  extricating 
himself  from  that  relation,  and  of  retrieving  the  wrong 
which  he  may  have  done  to  a  fellow-creature,  or,  at  least, 
to  the  spirit  of  justice, — shall  we  say  that  his  retaining 
his  bond-men,  in  this  state  of  mind,  is  necessarily  and 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  173 

pet^  se  a  sin  ?  Surely,  if  the  man  is  houest  in  his  convic- 
tions, and  this  we  suppose,  he  will  not  rest  without  eflforts 
to  release  himself  from  the  dilemma  in  which  he  is 
placed,  and  he  will  not  feel  at  liberty  to  retain  in  his 
possession  this  species  of  property,  so-called,  any  longer 
than  the  embarrassments  of  his  condition  and  a  regard 
to  their  best  good  will  allow.  He  will  look  upon  the  re- 
lation as  a  merely  temporary  one,  which  he  is  willing  at 
any  time  to  dissolve,  as  soon  as  he  sees  clearh'-  what  the 
Lord,  speaking  in  his  "  royal  law"  of  charity,  would  have 
him  to  do.  It  must  be  obvious  that,  so  long  as  one  re- 
mains in  this  transition  state,  holding  his  slaves  in  trust 
and  not  in  fee,  he  comes  not  into  the  same  category  with 
the  self  satisfied,  unquestioning,  unreflecting  slave-mas- 
ter, ruling  as  by  a  divine  right.  The  distinction  is  evi- 
dently an  important  one,  and  one  that  required  to  be 
clearly  made  in  the  aphorism,  as  the  position  will  not 
hold  good,  unless  by  actual  "  slave-holders"  the  author 
has  in  his  eye  those  who  have  no  scruples  on  the  subject, 
who  never  interrogate  themselves,  or  permit  the  interro- 
gations of  others,  in  respect  to  the  moral  aspects  of  the 
relation.  In  reference  to  persons  of  this  description  the 
position  is,  doubtless,  sound  ;  and  though  we  are  not  dis- 
posed to  make  much  of  the  distinction  between  those 
who  uphold  the  institution  "  socially,"  and  those  who 
uphold  it  "  politically,"  yet  we  freely  assent  to  the  general 
purport  of  the  aphorism.  While,  however,  we  believe 
that  "  slavery  is  imputable  as  a  sin  to  those  who  are  ac- 
tually slave-holders,"  in  the  sense  above  defined,  we  do 
not,  at  the  same  time,  forget  that  much  charitable  allow- 
ance is  to  be  made  for  those  who  have  had  the  system 
transmitted  to  them  from  their  fathers,  who  have  been 
born  and  nurtured  under  its  influence,  and  who  have  sel- 
dom or  never  heard  it  called  in  question.  The  dictates 
of  a  genuine  charity  will  not  permit  us  to  lose  sight  of 
whatever  extenuating  circumstances  may  be  cited  in  con- 
nection with  any  particular  form  of  evil.  On  this  head 
we  acknowledge  all  the  force  of  Dr.  Channing's  masterly 
appeal  in  his  "  Letter  to  the  Abolitionists." 
16 


174  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


"  As  an  example  of  the  unjust  severity  which  I  blame, 
it  may  be  stated  that  some  amoug  you  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  denounce  slaveholders  as  '  robbers  and  man- 
stealers.'  Now,  robbery  and  stealing  are  words  of  plain 
signification.  They  injply  that  a  man  takes  consciously 
and  loith  knowledge  what  belongs  to  another.  To  steal 
is  to  seize  privily  ;  to  rob  is  to  seize  by  force  the  acknow- 
ledged property  of  one's  neighbor.  I^ow,  is  the  slave- 
holder to  be  charged  with  these  crimes  ?  Does  he  hnoio 
that  the  slave  he  holds  is  not  his  own  ?  On  the  contrary, 
is  there  any  part  of  his  property  to  which  he  thinks  him- 
self to  have  a  stronger  right  ?  I  grant  that  the  delusion 
is  -a  monstrous  one.  I  repel  with  horror  the  claim  of 
ownership  of  a  human  being.  I  can  as  easily  think  of 
owning  an  angel  as  of  owning  a  man.  But  do  we  not 
know  that  there  are  men  at  the  I^orth,  who,  regarding 
the  statute-book  as  of  equal  authority  with  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  and  looking  on  legal  as  synonymous  with 
moral  right,  believe  that  the  civil  law  can  create  property 
in  a  man  as  easily  as  a  brute,  and  who,  were  they  consis- 
tent, would  think  themselves  authorized  to  put  their 
parents  under  the  lash,  should  the  legislature  decree,  that 
at  a  certain  age,  the  parent  should  become  the  slave  of 
the  child  i  Is  it  wonderful,  then,  that  men,  brought  up 
in  sight  of  enslaved  human  beings,  in  the  habit  of  treat- 
ing them  as  chattels,  and  amidst  laws,  religious  teach- 
ings, and  a  great  variety  of  institutions,  which  recognize 
this  horrible  claim,  should  seriously  think  themselves  the 
owners  of  their  fellow-creatures  !  We  are  sure  that  they 
do  view  the  slave  as  property;  and  thus  viewing  him, 
they  are  no  more  guilty  of  robbing  and  stealing,  than  one 
of  you  would  be,  who,  by  misapprehension,  should  ap- 
propriate to  himself  what  belongs  to  another.  And  are 
we  authorized  to  say  that  there  are  none  at  the  South, 
who,  if  they  should  discover  their  misapprehension, 
would  choose  to  impoverish  themselves,  rather  than  live 
by  robbery  and  crime  'I  Are  all  hearts  open  to  our  in- 
spection Has  God  assigned  to  us  his  prerogative  of 
judgment  ?    Is  it  not  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  Christian 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.   '  175 


cliaritj,  to  charge  on  men,  whose  general  deportment 
shows  a  sense  of  justice,  such  flagrant  crimes  as  robbery 
and  theft?  It  is  said  that,  by  such  allowances  to  the 
master,  I  have  weakened  the  jjower  of  what  I  have  -writ- 
ten against  slavery  ;  that  I  have  furnished  a  pillow  for 
the  conscience  of  the  slaveholder.  But  truth  is  truth, 
arid  we  must  never  wink  it  out  of  sight  for  the  sake  of 
effect.  God  needs  not  the  help  of  our  sophistry  or 
exaggeration.  For  the  sake  of  awakening  sensibility,  we 
must  not,  in  our  descriptions,  add  the  weight  of  a  feather 
to  the  sufferings  of  the  slave,  or  the  faintest  shade  to  the 
guilt  of  the  master.  Slavery  indeed,  regarded  as  a  vio- 
lation of  man's  most  sacred  rights,  should  always  be 
spoken  of  by  us  with  the  deepest  abhorrence  ;  and  we 
ought  not  to  conceal  our  fear,  that,  among  those  who 
vindicate  it  in  this  free  and  Christian  land,  there  must 
be  many  who  wilfully  shut  their  eyes  on  its  wrongs,  who 
are  victims  of  a  voluntary  blindness,  as  criminal  as 
known  and  chosen  transgression.  Let  us  speak  the  truth, 
and  the  whole  truth,  and  speak  it  in  the  language  of  strong 
conviction-.  But  let  neither  policy  nor  passion  carry  us 
beyond  the  truth.  Let  a  severe  principle  of  duty,  stronger 
than  excitement,  watch  and  preside  over  all  our  utter- 
ance." 

In  this  relation  we  cannot  refrain  from  alluding  to  a 
paragraph  in  Mr.  De  Charms'  generally  excellent 
"  Views  of  Freedom  and  Slavery,  in  the  Light  of  the 
New  Jerusalem."  In  this  pamphlet  he  argues  very  con- 
clusively that  African  slavery  is  a  civil,  political,  moral, 
and  spiritual  evil  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  holds 
that  ill  our  Southern  States  it  may  not  be  a  sin,  but  is 
rather  to  be  regarded  as  a  chronic  constitutional  disease, 
which  entitles  our  Southern  brethren  to  our  kind  consi- 
deration, aad  imposes  on  us  the  duty  of. co-operation  with 
them  in  gradually  getting  rid  of  it  as  an  hereditary  evil. 
That  this  proposition  is  not  devoid  of  truth  we  are  free  to 
admit ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  we  are  forced  to  regard 
it  as  a  truth,  so  much  diluted  by  the  excusatory  elements 
with  which  it  is  mixed,  as  very  seriously  to  prevent  any 


176  APnORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


erosive  effect  that  it  might  otherwise  have  upon  the  con- 
sciences of  those  for  whom  it  Avas,  or  at  least  ought  to 
haA^e  been,  intended.  The  naked  proposition  that  slavery 
may  not  be  a  sin  with  our  Southern  brethren,  leaves  the 
matter  very  much  at  loose  ends,  so  long  as  there  is  no 
specification  of  cases  and  conditions  that  shall  throw  light 
upon  the  casuistry  of  the  subject.  The  position  may  be 
easily  offset  by  the  counter  assertion  that  sla\'ery  may  he 
a  sin  with  slaveholders  as  well  as  an  evil,  and  what  ad- 
vance is  made  towards  a  practical  view  of  the  truth  unless 
the  due  discriminations  are  made,  and  the  parties  aided 
in  settling  the  question  for  themselves  in  what  cases  it  is 
a  sin,  and  in  what  not  ?  On  this  head  Ave  consider  the 
essay  somewhat  defective,  for  we  do  not  perceive  that 
Mr.  De  Charms'  reasoning  meets  the  demands  of  an 
aAvakened  conscience,  or  w^ould  be  very  apt  to  awaken  a 
sleeping  one.  We  were,  in  fact,  rather  surprised  to  find 
no  more  than  four  pages  of  the  Avhole  Avork  devoted  to 
this  particular  point,  Avhich  evidently  requires  the  most 
elaborate  and  thorough-going  discussion.  The  substance 
of  his  argument  on  this  head  is  contained  in  the  follow- 
ing paragraph : 

"  Slavery,  though  undoubtedly  an  evil,  may  not,  in  all  cases,  be  a  sin. 
Or,  if  a  sin,  may  be  one  which  the  apostle  deems  '  not  unto  death  ;'  but 
which  may  be  '  prayed  for.'  The  apostle  declares  '  all  unrighteousness 
is  sin ;'  that  is,  sin  consists  in  all  transgression  of  the  divine  laws.  But, 
says  he, '  there  is  a  sin  not  unto  death.'  Doubtless  the  sin  which  is 
unto  death  is  voluntary  sin  ;  and  that  which  is  not  unto  death  is  in- 
voluntary. The  sin  of  ignorance  is  involuntary  sin.  So  is  the  sin  of 
hereditary  transmission,  so  far  as  it  does  not  become  actual  evil  by  one's 
own  irrational  volition.  Still,  both  these  kinds  of  involuntary  sin, 
*  although  not  unto  death,  must  occasion  to  the  committer  of  them  some 
degree  of  penalty.  '  The  Lord,'  says  the  doctrine  of  our  church,  '  re-, 
•<  (fuire8  no  more  of  a  man  than  that  he  should  do  according  to  what  he 
■  knows  to  bQ  true.'  'The  same  doctrine  is  taught  by  our  church  ni'tKs 
form^:  '  Those  whg  knoAj.  their  duty,  and  not  those  who  are^gnorant  of 
it,  are  the  objects  (•  imputation,  whether  ft  be  of  ri^teousness  or  df 
guilt ;  just  as  blind  men,  when  they  stumble,  are  no  objects  of  blame  ; 
for  the  Lord  says — "  If  ye  were  blind,  ye  would  have  no  sin  ;  but  now 
you  say,  We  see  ;  therefore  your  sin  remaineth,"  John  ix.  4L'  {U.  T. 
127.)  Hence  the  condemnation  and  fatality  of  all  sin  lie  in  a  man's 
knowing  what  is  true,  and  yet  willing  and  acting  contrary  to  it — in 
'loving  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  his  deeds  are  evil.'  So 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.'  177 


that  if  a  man  '  knows  his  Lord's  will,  and  does  things  worthy  of  stripes, 
be  shall  be  beaten  with  ?)ii%nij  stripes.'  But,  if  he  '  knows  not  bis  Lord's 
will,  and  yet  does  things  worthy  of  stripes,  he  shall  beaten  with  few 
stripes.'  In  both  cases  a  penalty  is  inflicted ;  but  in  the  former  a 
heavy,  and  in  the  latter  a  light  one.  Hence,  if  slavery  be  an  evil,  all 
who  are  implicated  in  it — even  those  who  are  innocently  implicated — 
must  suffer  in  some  degree  from  it.  But  those  who  do  not  know,  or 
believe,  it  to  be  wrong,  are  not  condemnable  on  account  of  it  as  sin. 
Neither  are  those  guilty  sinners  who  have  had  slavery  entailed  on  them 
by  hereditary  transmission.  Yet  to  those  who  do  know,  or  believe,  it 
to  be  sinful,  the  implication  of  it  is  indeed  a  heinous  oifcnce  both 
against  God  and  man.  For  surely  not  one  can  doubt  that,  while  volun- 
tary service,  or  the  service  of  love  and  therefore  of  freedom,  is  supernal, 
forced  service,  or  that  service  which  fear  renders  to  imperious  raaster- 
dom,  is  infernal. 

"  Now,  we  cannot  believe  that  slavery  in  our  Southern  States  is 
heinously  sinful.  We  do  indeed  believe  it  is  an  evil ;  but  we  hold  it  to 
be  an  evil  mercifully  permitted,  in  the  divine  restorative  economy,  for 
an  ultimate  or  final  good.  What  that  is,  we  shall  see  as  we  proceed. 
Or,  if  Southern  slavery  be  a  sin,  we  are  sure  it  is  not  one  that  is  unto 
death.  It  is  a  venial  transmitted  sin.  The  institution  of  slavery  was 
entailed  upon  the  Southern  States  by  the  mother  country's  cupidity. 
Hence  we  regard  it  there  in  the  light  of  an  hereditary  evil,  which  re- 
quires much  love  and  wisdom — great  prudence,  care,  patience,  and  ten- 
der solicitude— in  its  eradication.  It  must  be  regarded  as  a  politically 
constitutional  disease,  which  can  be  cured  only  by  time,  wise  political 
dietetics,  and  intelligent  skill,  e.xciting  the  body  politic's  recuperative 
energies.  All  nature  is  as  abhorrent  to  sudden  change  as  to  a  vacuum. 
And  the  sin  of  slavery  sinks  into  absolute  insignificance  in  comparison 
with  the  egregious  sin  of  those  political  or  morbidly  philanthropic 
quacks,  who,  by  their  heroic  treatment  of  (his  disease — by  their  sudden 
alteratives,  their  decided  blood-lettings,  their  drastic  purges,  their  vio- 
lent counter-irritants,  and  their  other  strong  remedies — would  either 
kill  the  patient,  or  inflict  upon  his  shattered  constitution  vastly  greater 
and  more  incurable  factitious  diseases,  if,  by  some  merciful  providential 
fortuity,  he  should  happen  to  get  well  in  spite  of  their  physic  I  No 
true  man  will  be  forced  to  do  even  what  is  right.  And  the  very  worst 
effect  of  all  objurgatory  and  even  seeming  compulsory  efforts  to  destroy 
the  evil  of  slavery  in  the  South  as  a  damning  sin,  has  been  the  driving 
of  our  Southern  brethren  into  the  justification  of  it  as  a  divine  institu- 
tion, and  a  positive  good.    Thus  do  extremes  beget  extremes." 

The  distiuction  between  sins  of  ignorance  and  sins  of 
knowledge  is  certainly  well  founded ;  but  when  the 
author,  with  a  mere  whisper  of  a  qualification,  puts  "  the 
sin  of  hereditary  transmission"  into  the  same  category 
with  sins  of  ignorance,  we  feel  that  he  disregards  a  point 


178  APHOEISMS  ON  SLAVERT  AND  ABOLITION. 


of  the  utmost  moment  to  a  just  estimate  of  the  morale 
of  the  subject.  "Those  who  do  not  know  or  believe  it 
(slavery)  to  be  wrong,  are  not  condemnable  on  account 
of  it  as  sin.  Neither  are  those  guilty  sinners  who 
have  had  slavery  entailed  on  them  by  hereditary  trans- 
mission." They  are  not  of  course  made  guilty  by  the 
simple  fact  of  the  entailment ;  but  it  is  doing  great  injus- 
tice to  truth  to  omit  to  state  most  clearly  under  what 
circiimstances  guilt  is  incurred  in  such  cases.  True,  we 
find  in  a  previous  sentence  a  few  words  of  qualification 
— "  The  sin  of  ignorance  is  involuntary  sin.  So  is  the 
sin  of  hereditary  transmission,  so  fiir  as  it  does  not  be- 
come actual  evil  of  one's  own  irrational  volition."  This 
is  every  syllable  that  we  find  in  the  pamphlet  tending  to 
qualify  a  position  which  will  be  very  certain  to  operate 
as  an  opiate  to  the  conscience  unless  guarded  by  the 
most  explicit  statement  of  qualifications  and  exceptions. 
We  will,  therefore,  supply  the  omission  by  citing  an 
authority  which  Mr.  De  Charms  is  not  ju-one  to  un- 
dervalue— "  No  one  ever  suffers  punishment  in  another 
life  on  account  of  hereditary  evil,  because  it  is  not  his, 
consequently  he  is  not  blamable  for  it ;  but  he  suffers 
punishment  on  account  of  actual  evil  which  is  his  ;  so 
also  as  hy  actual  life  lo  has  apjnopriated  to  himself 
hereditary  emlP — A.  C.  2308.  This  puts  the  matter 
upon  the  right  basis;  and  our  southern  friends  can  avail 
themselves  justly  of  the  above  concessions  only  so  fiir  as 
they  are  conscious  of  this  non-appropriation  of  the  evil 
inheritance  bequeathed  them  by  their  fatliers.  But  on  this 
score  we  regret  to  say  that  we  perceive  very,  very  little 
evidence  that  the  Soutliern  people,  as  a  body,  give  any  in- 
dications of  a  state  of  mind  similar  to  that  which  elicited 
the  encomiums  of  an  apostle — ''  For  behold  this  self-same 
thing,  that  ye  sorrowed,  after  a  godly  sort,  what  careful- 
ness it  wrought  in  you,  yea,  what  cleaning  of  yourselves, 
yea,  what  indignation,  yea,  what  fear,  yea,  what  vehement 
desire,  yea,  what  zeal,  yea,  what  revenge !  In  all  things 
ye  have  approved  yourselves  to  be  clear  in  this  matter." 
We  fear  that  the  principal  gravamen  of  the  wrong-doing 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  179 


chargeable  upon  slave-holders  is  a  refusal  to  recede  from 
the  ways  in  which  their  progenitors  have  walked — a  re- 
solute closing  of  the  eyes  against  the  light  that  would 
fain  visit  them — a  persistent  repellency  put  forth  towards 
every  appeal,  however  kindly  and  well  meant,  addressed 
to  their  rational  and  religious  principles — a  perpetual 
process  of  self-justification — a  proneness  to  resent  and 
treat  as  impertinent  every  suggestion  implying  that  a 
sacred  moral  duty  rests  upon  every  holder  of  slaves  to 
investigate  candidly  and  thoroughly  the  genius  of  the  in- 
stitution, and  solemnly  to  repudiate  whatever  element 
there  is  in  it  of  offence  towards  God,  and  of  injury  to- 
wards men.  However  we  may  grant  that  an  intemperate 
and  Ishmaelitic  zeal  may  in  some  cases  have  character- 
ized the  warfare  that  has  been  waged  against  slavery, 
still  even  such  a  spirit  in  assailants  does  not  nullify  the 
moral  potency  of  the  truths  which  they  utter  or  write,  nor 
warrant  the  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  all  protestation  and 
admonition  addressed  by  conscious  philanthropy  to  ap- 
prehended oppression,  which  the  men  of  the  south  are  apt 
to  evince.  There  is  truly  such  a  thing  as  an  unexcep- 
tionable end  in  the  appeals  of  christian  men  in  the  free 
States  to  their  brethren  in  the  slave  States.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  a  genuinely  benevolent  concern  for  the 
spiritual  weal  of  the  parties  invoked,  and  which,  in  the 
sight  of  Heaven,  is  entitled  to  a  kindly  and  courteous  en- 
tertainment. Such  appeals  may  appear  harsh,  simply 
because  they  probe  deep  ;  but,  "  faithful  are  the  wounds 
of  a  friend."  They  have  for  their  aim  the  breaking  up 
of  the  false  calm  of  a  passive,  inert,  and  consenting  ac- 
quiescence in  a  state  of  things  which,  beyond  all  ques- 
tion, and  notwithstanding  all  Divine  permission,  involves 
a  gross  moral  evil  that  imperiously  demands  a  remedy. 


IV. 

They  have  not  slavery  imputed  to  them,  who  acknowledge  it  to  be 
an  evil,  and  act  for  the  removal  of  it,  socially  and  politically,  according 
to  the  laws  of  order.    This  is  plain  from  the  analogy  of  the  individual 


180  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 

man,  to  whom,  in  the  course  of  reformation  and  regeneration,  his  evils 
are  not  imputed. 

We  fear  that  there  are  those  even  in  the  bounds  of  the 
New  Church  who  will  be  very  backward  to  accept  the 
salvo  so  kindly  provided  for  them  in  the  above  aphorism. 
The  non-imputation  of  slavery  as  an  evil  will  doubtless 
be  thought  very  lightly  of  by  those  who  acknowledge  no 
evil  at  all  in  the  system.  However  much  of  surprise  it 
may  occasion,  yet  the  fact  is  unquestionable,  that  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  Southern  population,  and  among 
them  many  Newchurchmen,  strenuously  maintain  that 
slavery  is  neither  a  civil,  political,  or  moral  evil,  and,  in 
fact,  that  the  term  evil  is  in  no  sense  predicable  of  it,.view- 
ed  in  its  essential  character.  There  may  be  evils  of  abuse 
in  the  practical  carrying  out  of  the  system,  but  none  in 
its  intrinsic  genius.  To  what  extent  this  view  of  it  is 
held  by  Southern  IST.  C.  receivers,  we  are  ignorant ;  but 
we  find  it  unequivocally  avowed  in  some  of  the  commu- 
nications addressed  to  us  from  that  quarter,  and  a  South- 
ern paper  of  late  date  embodies,  no  doubt,  a  large 
amount  of  sectional  sentiment  in  the  following  assertion  : 
"  If  slavery  cannot  be  defended  on  the  grounds  of  its 
abstract  justice,  it  can  have  no  defence  at  all  worthy  of 
note  ;  and  no  good  man  can  give  it  defence."  AVe  can 
easily  discern  the  process  by  which  the  South  is  driven 
to  this  ultra  position,  but  to  us,  we  are  free  to  say,  this 
has  very  much  the  air  of  a  false  from  evil — of  the  con- 
firmation of  an  utterly  false  principle  from  the  blinding 
effect  of  a  selfish  love.  AVhat  is  the  essential  genius  of 
slavery  ?  Is  it  not  the  claim  of  the  right  of  property  in 
a  human  being  ?  How  was  this  right  acquired  ?  Was 
there  no  evil  in  the  original  acquisition  ?  Was  it  not 
eflfected  by  lawless  might  over  resisting  but  powerless 
weakness  %  Was  not  this  all  the  title  which  could  be 
pleaded  in  the  first  instance  fur  the  asserted  right  ?  Has 
the  basis  of  this  right  subsequently  changed  its  nature  ? 
Is  the  right  of  the  possession  any  ditierent  from  the  right 
of  the  acquisition  ?    If  there  was  an  evil  in  the  circum- 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


181 


stances  in  which  the  black  man  dn\a|Jnally  came  into  the 
hands  of  tlie  white  man,  how  and  when  wa§  J;hat  element 
eliminated  from  the  relation  ?  In  the  light  (ff  the  J^ew 
Dispensation  do  we  not  learn  that  the  laws  of  charity  are-^ 
the  standard  of  evil  ?  Does  charity  give  its  imprimatur 
to  the  brand  which  proclaims  a  human  being'transform- 
ed  from  a  freeman  to  a  slave  ?  If  the  law  of  charity  did 
not  preside  at  the  first  act,  how  could  it  preside  at  any 
succeeding  act  of  the  mancipating  process?  On  this 
head  we  have  never  seen  any  specimen  of  slaveholding 
logic  that  was  not  in  our  view  essentially  defective. 
May  we  ask  to  be  informed  how  the  invasion  of  the  na- 
tive freedom  of  a  human  being,  and  his  reduction  to 
bondage  against  his  will,  is  qpt  a»breach  of  charity  ; 
and  if  a  breach  of  charity,  how  it  is  not  an  evil -and  if 
it  was  an  evil  in  the  outset,  how  it  ceases  to  b'(?hn  evil 
in  the  sequel.  That  the  result  is  so  overruled  in  the  is- 
sue as  to  be  a  blessing  to  the  enslaved,  we  do  not  ques- 
tion for  a  moment ;  but  was  this  the  motive  of  the  origi- 
nal slave-captors  on  the  coast  of  Africa  ?  Has  any  one 
the  hardihood  to  assert  it  ?  If  it  were  not,  how  could 
the  act  be  devoid  of  evil  ?  And  how  can  the  whole  train 
of  sequences,  which  takes  its  character  from  the  initia- 
tory step,  fail  to  be  tainted  with  the  same  vice  ? 

AYhat  shall  be  said  to  the  argument  involved  in  the 
following  paragraph  ? 

"  It  were  humiliating  to  set  about  thejsrog/"  that  the  slave  system  is 
incompatible  with  Christianity  ;  Jjocause  no  man  questions  its  incom- 
patibility who  knows  what  Christianity  is,  and  what  it  requires.  .  . 
Look  at  the  foundation  of  all  the  relative  duties  of  man — Benevolence, 
Love — that  love  and  benevolence  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  moral 
law— that  '  charity'  which  prompts  to  acts  of  kindness,  and  tend^ess, 
and  fellow-feeling  for  all  men.  Does  he  who  seizes  a  person  in  Guinea, 
ajjd  draM  him  shrieking  t»  a  yes^el, -practice  this  benevolence  ?  When 
tnree%r  four  BOndreds  have  b(^n^Jing  seized,  does  he  who  chains  them 
together  in  a  suffocating  hold,  practice  thil'benevolence^  When  they 
have  reached  another  shore,  does  he  who  gives  money  to  the  first  for  his 
victims,  keeps  them  as  his  property,  and  compels  them  to  labor  for  his 
profit,  practice  this  benevolence  ?  Would  either  of  these  persons  think, 
if  their  relative  situations  were  exchanged  with  the  Africans',  that  the 


182 


APHORISMS  OJSr  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


Africans  used  them  justW  and  kindly  ?  No.  Then  the  question  is  de- 
cided. Christianity  condemns  the  system  ;  and  no  further  inquiry 
about  rectitude*remains.  The  question  is  as  distinctly  settled  as  when 
a  man  commits  a  burglary  it  is  distinctly  certain  that  he  has  violated 
the  law." — Dymond's  Essays,  p.  507. 

The  truth  is,  we  feel  reluctant  to  assume  an  argumen- 
tative attitude  towards  this  position.  It  is  giving  it  too 
much  significance.  The  instinct  of  charity  perceives  it- 
self instantaneously  revolted  by  the  assertion  that  it  is 
not  an  evil  to  deprive  a  man  of  his  freedom,  and  to  con- 
sign him  and  his  posterity  to  perpetual  bondage.  It  is 
a  position  that  no  reasoning  can  legitimate,  and  one  that 
really  damages  the  cause  it  is  intended  to  support.  Far 
better  would  it  be,  for  the  South  to  confess  the  original 
evil  and  wrong,  and  to  plant  their  defence  on  the  ground 
of  its  unsolicited  and  deplored  transmission  from  the 
men  of  another  generation — an  inheritance  bringing  with 
it  a  world  of  embarrassment  as  to  the  true  path  of  duty, 
as  to  which,  however,  they  are  far,  very  far,  from  indif- 
ferent, and  if  they  appear  to  be  tardy  in  action,  that  is 
owing  to  the  practical  difficulties  which  beset  every  at- 
tempt to  apply  the  proper  remedy.  Now,  these  difficul- 
ties, we  shall  endeavor  to  show,  are  by  no  means  in- 
superable, but  they  are  still  difficulties,  and  the  South 
are  at  full  liberty  to  plead  them  in  reply  to  the  rampant 
urgency  of  a  zeal  of  reform  which  is  not  according  to 
knowledge.  We  look  upon  it  as  peculiarly  unfortunate 
that  the  Southern  defenders  of  the  institution  allow 
themselves  to  be  driven,  by  the  stress  of  anti-slavery 
logic,  to  so  flimsy  a  retreat  as  that  of  the  intrinsic  harm- 
lessness  of  the  central  principle  of  the  system.  This 
ground,  we  believe,  was  seldom  or  never  taken  in  the 
eaiiier  days  of  slavery,  nor  do  we  think  it  would  ever 
have  been  resorted  to,  but  for  th»  vigorous  onset  made 
by  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  of  the  North.  Arf  evil 
hard  pressed  is  very  prone  to  betake  itself  to  a  falsity  for 
refuge.  For  ourselves,  therefore,  we  are  disposed  to  take 
it  for  granted  that  there  is,  in  fact,  a  latent  conscious- 
ness of  an  intrinsic  evil  adhering  to  the  system,  and  not 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  183 


only  so,  but  that  this  feature  of  it  is  a  source  of  earnest 
and  anxious  thought  with  conscientious  men  of  the  South, 
who  find  themselves  sustaining  the  relation,  and  who 
would  devoutly  desire  to  acquit  themselves  to  the  approba- 
tion of  the  Searcher  of  hearts.  To  all  such  the  proposition 
of  the  aphorism  will  not  have  the  air  of  a  gratuitous  moral- 
izing. They  will  respectfully  consider  the  laws  which  go- 
vern the  Divine  estimate  of  evil,  and  they  will  agree  with 
us  that  the  acknowledgment  on  this  score  which  shall 
secure  the  non-imputation  of  slavery  as  a  sin,  must  needs 
be  something  more  than  a  mere  general,  lax,  or  matter  of 
course  assenting  to  the  proposition  which  affirms  it  as  an 
evil.  A  man  inay  make  his  verbal  acknowledgment, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  loses  sight  of  his  own  agency 
in  the  matter,  and  thinks  of  it  solely  as  an  evil  predica- 
ble  of  the  community  at  large.  Nay,  he  may  even, 
while  inwardly  favoring  it  in  his  heart,  practise  a  certain 
ruse  upon  his  conscience  by  such  an  acknowledgment, 
and  secretly  fancy  that  he  atones  for  the  evil  by  confess- 
ing it.  But,  plainly,  such  an  acknowledgment  amounts 
to  nothing.  It  must  be  a  sincere,  thorough-going  recog- 
nition of  one's  own  ])ersoual  agency  in  upholding  the 
system,  coupled  with  a  course  of  positive  action  tending 
directly,  however  gradually,  to  do  away  what  he  pro- 
fesses to  deplore.  This  is  doubtless  implied  in  the  words 
of  the  Aphorism,  but  it  may  be  well  to  reiterate  it,  as 
the  subtlety  of  the  corrupt  heart  of  man  is  such  that  he 
will  even  make  the  testimony  which  his  moral  nature 
compels  him  to  bear  to  right,  a  cloak  for  the  persistent 
continuance  in  the  very  wrong  which  he  would  fain  per- 
suade himself  he  abhors. 

The  remaining  clause  of  the  Aphorism  undoubtedly 
sets  forth  an  analogy  pertinent  to  the  case  before  us,  and 
one  which  is  strongly  confirmatory  of  the  ground  we 
have  assumed  above.  In  individual  regeneration  the 
great  desideratum  is  conscious  sincerity,  simplicity,  and 
honesty  of  aim.  When  this  is  present,  and  the  soul  is 
pressing  on  to  high  and  pure  attainments,  the  evils  of 
which  it  is  struggling  to  divest  itself  are  not  imputed  to 


184  APnOKISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


it,  nor  can  they  prevent  a  final  felicitous  issue.  So  in 
the  case  hefore  us.  If  the  slaveholder  gives  moral  prin- 
ciple fair  play,  and  truly  and  sincerely  labors  to  ascer- 
tain what  the  Lord  would  have  him  to  do  in  the  circum- 
stances, and  is  willing  to  go  counter  to  his  apparent 
worldly  interest,  and  make  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  then  he  may  assure  himself  that  the 
evil  he  may  have  formerly  countenanced  is  not  imputed 
to  him,  and  he  may  present  an  unruffled  brow  to  all  re- 
proaches and  vilifications.  But  men  thus  prompted  will 
not  take  it  ill  to  be  reminded  that  subtleties  and  sophis- 
tries, the  offspring  of  a  perverted  proprium,  will  scarcely 
fail  to  cloud  their  perceptions,  and  warp  their  judgment, 
when  they  come  to  grapple  in  earnest  with  the  problem 
that  presses  upon  them. 

V. 

One  law  of  Divine  order  is,  that  evils  must  not  be  removed  sudden- 
ly, and  that  if  the  attempt  be  made,  worse  evils  arise.  The  law  ap- 
plies to  public  or  national  evils,  as  well  aa  to  those  of  the  individual. 

We  cpiestion  not  that  a  very  important  truth  is  em- 
bodied in  this  paragraph,  albeit  we  should  have  preferred 
the  phraseology  which  we  see  from  the  manuscript  was 
originally  adopted — "  that  evils  cannot  be  removed  sud- 
denly." Language  implying  prokihition  in  regard  to 
the  sudden  removal  of  evil,  is  stronger  than  the  nature 
of  the  case  admits,  and  is  calculated  to  lead  to  wrong 
impressions.  At  any  rate  we  do  not  find  this  language 
countenanced  by  Swedenborg,  as  his  phraseology  is  very 
uniformly  cannot  instead  of  jnust  not.  This  will  appear 
from  a  few  paragraphs  which  we  insert,  and  to  which  we 
give  place  the  more  readily  from  the  fact  that  they  de- 
velop the  philosophy  of  the  principle  in  a  very  beautiful 
and  striking  manner.  "  Man  is  not  hastily  but  slowly 
regenerated  ;  because  all  things  which  he  had  thought, 
had  intended,  and  done  from  infancy,  have  added  them- 
selves to  his  life,  and  have  made  it,  and  also  have  formed 
such  a  connexion  amongst  each  other,  that  one  cannot 


APUORISMS  OK  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  185 

be  moved  away  unless  all  are  moved  away  together  with 
it.  Hence,  it  is  evident  that  evils  and  falses  with  an  evil 
man,  cannot  be  removed  suddenly,  but  so  far  as  goods 
and  truths  are  implanted  in  their  order  and  interiorly, 
for  heaven  removes  hell  from  man.  If  this  was  to  be 
suddenly,  the  man  would  be  defective,  for  all  and  singu- 
lar things  which  are  in  connexion  and  form  would  be  dis- 
turbed, and  violence  would  be  done  to  his  life." — {A.  G. 
9334.)  "  Goods  and  truths  should  remove  evils  and  falses 
by  successive  implantations  ;  for  falses  are  not  remova- 
ble except  by  truths,  nor  evils  except  by  goods  ;  if  this 
is  not  done  successively  and  according  to  order,  the  falses 
which  favor  those  loves  flow  in,  and  from  the  delight  of 
those  loves  the  man  concludes  nothing  but  folses,  if  the 
falses  of  evil  are  suddenly  removed." — {A.  C.  9335.) 
"  Man,  when  he  is  born,  as  to  hereditary  evils  is  a  hell 
in  the  least  form ;  hence  it  is  that  the  order  of  his  life 
from  nativity  and  from  actual  life  is  opposite  to  the  order 
of  heaven.  The  former  life,  therefore,,  which  is  of  hell, 
must  be  altogether  destroyed,  that  is,  evils  and  falses 
must  be  removed,  to  the  intent  that  new  life,  which  is 
the  life  of  heaven,  may  be  implanted.  This  cannot  in 
anywise  be  done  hastily  ;  for  every  evil  being  inrooted 
with  its  falses,  has  connection  with  all  evils  and  their 
falses ;  and  such  evils  and  falses  are  innumerable,  and 
their  connection  is  so  manifold  that  it  cannot  be  compre- 
hended, not  even  by  the  angels,  but  only  by  the  Lord ; 
hence  it  is  evident  that  the  life  of  hell  with  man  cannot 
be  destroyed  suddenly,  for  if  suddenly,  he  would  alto- 
gether expire :  and  that  neither  can  the  life  of  heaven 
be  implanted  suddenly,  for  if  suddenly,  he  would  also 
expire." — {A.  C.  9336.)  This,  then,  develops  the  gene- 
ral law  of  procedure  in  regard  to  the  removal  of  evils  ; 
but  it  evidently  requires  great  caution  to  guard  against 
the  perversion  of  the  principle.  It  is  perverted  if  we 
make  use  of  it  as  a  plea  to  countenance  the  continu- 
ance of  any  positive  act,  or  series  of  acts,  of  evil,  when 
their  true  character  is  made  known  to  us.  Every  such 
act  is  to  be  at  once  renounced,  and  we  are  to  enter  upon 
17 


186  APHOEISMS  ON  SLAVEKY  AND  ABOLITION. 


a  course  of  reformation  as  if  the  final  efiect  would  im- 
mediately follow,  whereas  we  know  it  will  not,  for  the 
evil  love  which  has  originated  the  evil  acts  will  be  cer- 
tain to  survive  for  some  time  after  the  acts  have  ceased. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  commence  at 
once  that  course  of  action  which  will  result  in  the  final 
abolition  of  every  form  of  evil,  leaving  it  to  the  opera- 
tion of  the  laws  of  Providence  to  extinguish  in  due  time 
the  inward  prompting  to  everything  that  is  amiss.  The 
fact  is,  the  language  of  Swedenborg  on  this  head  is  not  so 
much  to  suggest  a  rule  of  duty  for  us  as  a  law  of  Provi- 
dence^ founded  upon  the  constitution  of  things.  It  is 
rather  a  declaration  of  what  the  laws  cf  order  imply, 
than  of  a  course  of  action  by  which  we  are  to  be  guided. 
The  intemperate  man,  for  instance,  who  sees  the  evil  of 
indulgence,  is  bound  at  once  to  abandon  his  cups, 
though  he  does  it  under  the  moral  certainty  that  the 
appetite  may  remain  to  trouble  him  for  a  long  time  to 
come.  But  on  this  head  he  is  not  required  to  be  very 
solicitous.  This  part  of  the  consequences  will  take  care 
of  itself.  Let  the  drinking  cease,  and  the  thirst  will 
gradually  die  away.  "  Where  no  wood  is,  the  fire  goeth 
out."  So  in  the  case  before  us.  There  is  undoubtedly 
something  which  is  immediately  incumbent  upon  the 
conscientious  slaveholder,  while  at  the  same  time  we  are 
fully  persuaded  there  are  some  steps  bearing  on  the  final 
issue  which  are  not  at  once  to  be  taken,  as  it  would  be 
a  rash  precipitating  of  dangerous  results,  and  contrary  to 
the  order  of  Providence.  What  is  at  once  to  be  done, 
and  what  to  be  temporarily  forborne  in  the  premises, 


A.  E.  F.  as  to  the  fact  of  the  providential  law  to  which  he 
refers,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  but  Ave  fear  that  the  lan- 
guage of  inhibition  which  he  employs  may  lead  to  wrong 
inferences,  and  paralyze  that  measure  and  form  of  effort 
which  is  called  for  by  the  principles  of  charity  without 
the  least  delay. 


will 


proceed.    We  do  not 


VI. 


This  law  is  violated  with  less  impunity,  in  proportion  as  the  evil  to 


APnORtSMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  187 


be  removed  is  more  interior.  The  sign  that  a  public  or  national  evil 
is  interior  is,  that  it  is  recognized,  sanctioned,  and  established  by  the 
laws.  Thus,  intemperance  is  a  less  interior  evil  than  slavery,  because 
though  it  prevails,  it  is  uot,  or  not  to  the  same  degree,  sanctioned  by 
law. 

The  "  law"  here  spoken  of  is  that  wliieh  forms  the  sub- 
ject of  the  preceding  aphorism,  to  wit :  "  that  evils  ranst 
not  be  removed  suddenly."  We  have  endeavored  to 
show  that  this  is  not  so  much  to  be  viewed  as  a  prohibi- 
tory precept  by  which  our  duty  is  to  be  determined,  as 
the  statement  of  a  tact  or  a  principle  which  obtains  in 
the  regenerating  process  as  governed  by  the  laws  of  or- 
der, and  is  therefore  not  so  much  a  laio  liable  to  he  vio- 
lated, as  a  principle  liable  to  be  disregarded,  and  this  it 
no  doubt  may  be,  much  to  the  injury  of  great  moral  in- 
terests. This  injury,  the  writer  thinks,  will  be  apt  to  be 
greater  in  proportion  as  an  evil  is  more  interior,  or,  in 
other  words,  more  deeply  and  organically  inwrought  in 
the  usages,  institutes,  and  legal  enactments  of  any  com- 
munity. Consecpiently,  he  would  deprecate  the  sudden 
breaking  up  of  the  system,  as  by  law  established,  lest 
still  more  pernicious  results  might  ensue,  a  general  view 
of  the  subject  which  we  deem  correct.  An  abrupt  and 
violent  rending  away,  however,  of  this  feature  of  the 
civil  code,  is  one  thing,  and  a  calm,  deliberate,  but  still 
immediate  inchoation  of  measures  that  shall  eventually 
bring  about  that  issue  is  another.  We  see  nothing  that 
stands  in  the  way  of  conscience  or  wisdom  in  the  resolve 
to  enter  at  once  upon  the  incipiency  of  an  emancipating 
process,  and  when  this  is  done  in  earnest,  we  have  no 
fears  that  the  right  result  will  not  follow.  This  we  con- 
ceive to  be  the  legitimate  course  in  all  cases  of  acknowl- 
edged evil,  wlietlier  interior  or  exterior.  Assuredly,  if 
men  are  involved  in  the  support  of  such  an  evil,  and 
have  their  eyes  open  to  the  fact,  and  are  with  all  anxious 
to  free  themselves  frona  it,  there  must  be  some  way  of  ex- 
trication, for  it  is  inconceivable  that  any  man,  or  any  class 
of  men,  should  be  shut  up  by  the  insuperable  bars  of  the 
Divine  Providence  to  the  necessity  of  continuing  in  such 


188  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


a  predicament.  There  must  be  some  "  outgate"  for  him 
who  would  escape.  An  irrevocable  necessity  of  wrong- 
doing can  be  imposed  upon  no  man  in  this  world.  If  any 
law,  usage,  or  institution  be  intrinsically  wrong,  it  can- 
not be  right  to  continue  it ;  consequently,  with  those  who 
have  been  its  abettors,  there  is  of  necessity  some  duty  of 
renunciation  incumbent  as  soon  as  they  are  convinced 
of  the  evil  of  their  agency,  past  or  present,  in  sustaining 
it.  Nor  is  any  individual  exempted  from  this  duty,  be- 
cause he  is  associated  by  civil  or  religious  ties  with  others 
who  do  not  sympathize  with  him  in  his  convictions,  and 
who  therefore  withhold  co-operation.  He  has  some 
share  in  the  general  action  of  the  collective  body  in  per- 
petuating the  evil,  and  this  share  he  is  bound  to  re- 
nounce, and  to  labor  by  protest  and  moral  suasion  to 
bring  his  associates  to  unite  with  him  in  sentiment  and 
action,  with  a  view  to  its  final  abrogation.  Upon  this 
point  it  is  hardly  possible  to  insist  too  urgently,  that  the 
individual  is  never  at  liberty  so  far  to  merge  himself  in 
the  state  as  to  forbear  acting  in  the  redress  of  evils  till 
the  state  itself  takes  the  initiative.  The  demands  of  an 
enlightened  conscience  press  themselves  directly  upon 
the  man  as  responsible  first  of  all  to  the  "higher  law" 
of  his  God,  irrespective  of  his  relations  to  the  state,  and 
call  upon  him  to  renounce  and  abjure  that  measure  of 
agency  which  may  pertain  to  him  as  an  originator  or 
continuator  of  the  legalized  system  of  wrong  which  is 
brought  into  question. 

It  is  in  our  view  all  important  that  in  urging  the 
claims  of  abolitionism  upon  Southern  slaveholders  we 
should  plant  ourselves  distinctly  upon  this  ground.  Our 
appeal  should  be  made  to  the  individual  rather  than  to  the 
community.  The  community  cannot  be  exjiected  to  act 
as  a  community  till  the  component  members  are  indivi- 
dually convinced  of  their  duty  in  the  premises.  The 
units  are  prone  to  hide  themselves  in  the  aggregate,  as 
did  Saul  among  the  "  stufi","  but  when  drawn  out  each 
one  will  scarcely  fail  to  be  conscious  that  on  the  score  of 
moral  responsibility,  he  is  "  from  the  shoulders  and  up- 


APHORISMS  ON  SLA.VERT  AND  ABOLITION.  189 


wards,"  at  least  as  high  as  "  any  of  the  people."  This 
responsibility  he  can  by  no  means  evade  ;  but  in  what 
particular  form  it  is  to  be  exercised,  and  under  what 
special  qualifications  the  slaveholder  is  to  heed  the  sum- 
mons to  emancipation,  will  be  more  fully  considered  in 
what  follows. 

vn. 

By  the  two  preceding  aphorisms  an  immediate  emancipation  of 
slaves  is  so  far  from  being  the  true  remedy  of  the  evil,  and  a  duty  im- 
posed by  the  Christian  religion,  that  it  is  a  false  remedy  forbidden  by 
Christianity. 

This  surely  is  very  strong  language,  nor  are  we  by  any 
means  prepared  to  assent  to  it  without  a  close  inspection 
of  its  purport.  Yet,  as  in  nearly  every  one  of  the  aphor- 
isms, so  in  this  likewise,  we  recognize  a  substratum  of 
truth  which  we  are  not  at  all  disposed  to  question,  but  a 
truth  that  needs,  in  our  view,  to  undergo  somewhat  of  a 
process  of  logical  smelting  in  order  to  bring  out  the  pure 
metal  freed  from  all  vicious  adhereuces.  It  will  not,  we 
presume,  be  denied  that  in  every  case  of  moral  wrong- 
there  is  an  opposite  and  corresponding  right.  If  slavery, 
i.  e.,  slaveholding,  as  generally  defined  and  practised,  be 
in  reality  a  wrong  done  to  the  neighbor,  then  if  we  can 
ascertain  the  act  or  conduct  which  is  precisely  the  re- 
verse of  this,  we  may  doubtless  take  it  for  granted  that 
we  have  hit  upon  the  requisite  right  which  is  the  true 
remedy  for  the  wrong  in  question.  If  a  certain  disease 
is  to  be  cured,  and  there  is  a  particular  medicine  which 
is  a  genuine  specific  for  that  disease,  that  surely  is  the 
medicine  which  should  be  administered  to  the  patient. 
Let  us  apply  this  principle  in  the  present  case.  The  two 
terms,  mancipation  (from  manu^  and  cajpio,  talcing  with 
the  hand)  and  e-mancipation.  imply  ideas  directly  the 
converse  of  each  other,  the  one  denoting  the  act  of  re- 
ducing to  bondage,  the  other  the  act  of  freeing  from 
bondage.  Now,  surely,  if  the  former  term  denotes  an 
act  which  is  intrinsically  wrong,  and  the  latter  an  act 
directly  contrary  to  it,  and  tlierefore  intrinsically  right, 


190  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


there  can  be  no  doubt  that  emancipation  is  the  true  remedy 
for  its  opposite  evil,  and  eousequentlj,  that  this  is  precisely 
the  remedy  which  Christianity  enjoins.  Are  not  the 
two  things  just  as  obversely  opposite  to  each  other  as 
theft  and  restitution  ;  and  does  Christianity  prescribe  to 
the  conscience  any  other  remedy  for  theft  than  restitu- 
tion, accompanied  by  repentance  ? 

But  the  aphorism  before  us  points  its  censure,  not  at 
emancipation  in  the  abstract,  but  at  immediate  emanci- 
pation ;  and  this  it  professes  to  regard  as  a  false  and  for- 
bidden remedy  for  an  incontestable  evil.  This  then  be- 
becomes  the  grand  question  in  debate,  and  we  venture 
to  say  that  this  can  never  be  satisfactorily  settled,  with- 
out first  settling  clearly  and  distinctly  the  true  idea  of 
the  essence  of  slavery,  and  of  the  essence  of  emancipa- 
tion. To  this  end  we  remark,  that  if  slavery  be  admit- 
ted to  be  in  itself  an  evil,  then  there  must  be  incumbent 
an  immediate  duty  of  some  kind  in  relation  to  it,  for  no 
evil  is  to  be  quietly  acquiesced  in  for  a  moment.  What 
is  that  duty  ?  What  can  it  be,  but  the  sincere  mental 
renunciation  of  the  principle  which  lies  at  the  founda- 
tion of  the  system  of  involuntary  slavery,  to  wit :  the 
claim  of  a  right  of  jproperty  in  a  human  heing^  or  the 
right  of  converting  a  man  into  a  chattel.  This  is  the 
radical  vice — the  fundamental  falsity — the  central  wrong 
of  the  whole  system.  Upon  a  strict  analysis  it  is  pre- 
cisely here — in  the  mental  assertion  of  a  false  and  in- 
jurious principle — that  the  essential  evil  of  servitude  con- 
centrates itself  It  is  the  laying  claim  to  a  right  which 
is  itself  a  nullity.  No  such  right  ever  did  or  could  ex- 
ist. A  human  being  can,  by  no  rightful  process,  be  so 
far  dehumanized  as  to  sink  him  to  an  object  of  owner- 
ship and  an  article  of  merchandise.  The  fact  that  such  a 
right  has  been  long  asserted  and  exercised,  imparts  to  it 
no  validity.  It  is  simply  by  a  legal  fiction  that  such 
possession  is  iavmQdL  property.,  and  under  that  denomina- 
tion transmitted  from  father  to  son.  In  the  nature  of  the 
case  the  title  of  subsequent  tenure  can  be  no  other  than 
that  of  original  acquisition.    The  stream  cannot  rise 


APHOKISMS  OX  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  191 


higher  than  its  fountain.  The  slave  captors  in  Africa 
could  plead  no  title  to  their  prev  other  than  that  of  law- 
less violence,  and  a  mastery  too  strong  for  its  victims. 
Consequently,  what  they  had  not,  they  could  not  con- 
vey. We  must  be  excused  for  speaking  plainly  on  this 
subject,  for  the  scope  of  our  argument  requires  it.  "We 
are  aiming  to  ascertain  the  point  of  duty  on  a  subject 
which  ajipeals  with  pressing  iirgency  to  the  moral  in- 
stincts ot  the  conscientious  man,  and  this  point  we  can 
never  reach  without  penetrating  the  intrinsic  merits  or 
demerits  of  the  theme.  Let  us,  then,  be  allowed  to  say, 
that  we  are  for  ourselves  forced  to  subscribe  to  the  jus- 
tice of  the  sentiments  propounded  in  the  following  ex- 
tract from  "  Dymond's  Essays  on  Morality." 

"  The  distinctions  which  are  made  between  the  origi- 
nal robbery  in  Afi-ica,  and  the  purchase,  the  inheritance, 
and  the  '  breeding'  of  slaves,  do  not  at  all  respect  the 
Tiind  of  immorality  that  attaches  to  the  whole  system. 
They  respect  nothing  but  the  degree.  The  man  who 
wounds  and  robs  another  on  the  highway,  is  a  more 
atrocious  offender  than  he  who  plunders  a  hen-roost ; 
but  he  is  not  more  truly  an  offender,  he  is  not  more 
certainly  a  violator  of  the  law.  And  so  with  the  slave 
system.  He  who  drags  a  wretched  man  from  his  family 
in  Africa,  is  a  more  flagitious  transgressor  than  he  who 
merely  compels  the  African  to  labor  for  his  own  advan- 
tage ;  but  the  transgression,  the  immorality  is  as  real 
and  certain  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  He  who 
had  no  right  to  steal  the  African,  had  none  to  sell  him. 
From  him  who  is  known  to  have  no  right  to  sell,  another 
can  have  no  right  to  buy  or  to  possess.  Sale,  or  gift,  or 
legacy,  imparts  no  right  to  me,  because  the  seller,  or 
giver,  or  bequeatber,  had  none  himself.  The  sufferer 
has  just  as  valid  a  claim  to  liberty  at  my  hands  as  at  the 
hands  of  the  ruffian  who  first  dragged  him  from  his 
home.  Every  hour  of  every  da}",  the  present  possessor 
is  guilty  of  injustice.*    Nor  is  the  case  altered  with  re- 


*  We  would  here  interpose  a  qualifying  clause.  We  can  accept  the  pro- 
position as  above  stated  only  with  the  understanding  that  the  possession  is 


192 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


spect  to  those  who  are  born  on  a  man's  estate.  The 
parents  were  never  the  landholder's  property,  and  there- 
fore the  child  is  not.  Nay,  if  the  parents  had  been  right- 
fully slaves,  it  would  not  justify  me  in  making  slaves  of 
their  children.  No  man  has  a  right  to  make  a  child  a 
slave  but  himself." 

Can  our  position  then  be  questioned,  that  as  a  title 
never  possessed  can  never  be  transferred,  so  the  slaves  of 
the  South,  held  as  such  on  no  other  tenure  than  that  by 
which  they  were  made  such,  cannot  be  regarded  as  the 
bona  tide  property  of  their  alleged  owners.  To  a  just 
casuistry  it  matters  not  through  how  many  hands  an 
usurped  possession  may  have  passed,  there  is  no  genuine 
title  created  to  it  in  transitu,  not  even  if  the  original 
owner  should  never  appear  to  prefer  his  claim.  The 
ethics  of  Christianity  know  of  no  process  of  post-legiti- 
mation which  can  apply  to  a  case  of  this  kind ;  and 
upon  no  other  basis  do  we  perceive  how  any  professed 
defence  of  slavery  can  rest.  Such  a  process  is  all  along 
assumed  by  the  slaveholder ;  and  here,  if  we  rightly 
conceive,  is  the  very  heart  and  core  of  the  oftending 
principle  in  slavery,  the  sincere  acknowledgment  and  re- 
nunciation of  which  is  the  first  step  in  the  retroceding 
course  prescribed  b}'^  an  enlightened  conscience.  How 
much  more  than  such  a  mental  acknowledgment  and 
renunciation  is  involved  in  the  moral  demands  made  on 
this  head,  we  shall  have  occasion  to  consider  in  the 
sequel,  but  surely  nothing  less  will  suffice  in  the  outset. 

We  cannot  but  be  aware  that  such  an  emphatic  pre- 
sentation of  the  case,  in  its  fundamental  aspects,  will 
scarcely  tail  to  be  the  reverse  of  agreeable  to  our  South- 
ern brethren  ;  but  we  are  at  the  same  time  confident  that 


held  in  the  same  spirit  with  which  it  was  first  acquired.  We  do  not  predi- 
cate a  continued  "  injustice,"  in  the  case  where  the  present  possessor  in- 
wardly repudiates  the  original  act  in  consequence  of  which  a  human  being 
has  been  cast  upon  his  hands,  and  where  he  is  entirely  conscious  of  holding 
him,  not  with  a  view  to  self-interest  or  from  the  lust  of  oppression,  but 
solely  with  regard  to  the  best  good  of  the  slave  himself.  It  is  the  motive 
which  is  the  all-in-;         ceping  up  the  relation. 


APnOKISJIS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLmON.  193 


our  position  cauiiot  fiiirly  be  controverted,  nor  do  we  feel 
at  liberty  to  plant  ourselves  on  any  lower  ground.  Our 
object  is  to  point  the  finger,  in  exact  indication,  to  what 
we  regard  as  the  spot  where  the  virulence  of  the  disease 
is  more  especially  concentrated.  Our  motive  is  to  contri- 
bute by  friendly  suggestion  to  an  effectual  cure.  We 
would  be  far  from  acting  the  unfeeling  part  of  a  surgeon 
who  should  lance  and  probe  an  ulcer  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  inflicting  anguish,  or  of  convincing  the  patient  that  his 
body  was  suffering  under  a  dangerous  disease.    He  were 


his  aim. 

We  insist  the  more  strenuously  on  the  above  position 
from  the  fact,  that  the  consciousness  of  intending  no  in- 
jury or  wrong  to  the  slave,  which  we  firmly  believe 
holds  good  of  those  whom  loe  presume  to  address,  and 
the  patriarchal  and  parental  relation  which  such  masters 
strive  to  sustain  to  their  bondmen,  together  witli  a  cer- 
tain contented  and  even  happy  sphere  which  often  pre- 
vails over  a  well-ordered  plantation,  strongly  tends  to 
veil  from  sight  the  underlying  principles  of  falsity  and 
evil  which  still  pertain  to  the  system  under  the  fairest 
phases  it  may  assume.  Indeed,  it  requires  with  ns  but 
a  purely  ideal  sojourn  in  the  parlors,  out-houses,  and 
fields  of  such  of  onr  brethren  as  will  probably  read 
these  pages,  where  we  witness  the  governing  kindness 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  simple,  childlike,  obedient 
affection  on  the  other,  to  feel  the  force  of  an  indefinable 
spell  upon  u3,  disarming  us  of  our  prejudices,  and  aZmos^ 
reconciling  us  to  the  "  peculiar  institution,"  as  securing, 
all  things  considered,  the  best  condition  for  the  benight- 
ed sons  of  Africa.  "We  can,  at  any  rate,  by  a  mental 
metempsychosis,  so  far  enter  into  the  feelings  of  the  bet- 
ter sort  of  Southern  'slave-masters  as  to  realize  the  strong 
sphere  of  repellency  with  which  they  throw  off  the  im- 
putation of  conscious  wrong,  injury,  oppression,  and 
cruelty  that  are  often  indiscriminatel}^  urged  against 
them.  For  the  time  being  our  emotions  side  with  the 
men  who  are  so  roughly  arraigned,  and  we  are  disposed 


a 


man  if  ultimate  cure  were  not 


194  APHOEISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLmON. 


also  to  sa}',  "  You  know  nothing  of  the  actual  state  of 
things  among  ns.  Come  and  live  with  iis  awhile,  and 
you  will  stand  corrected  in  your  verdict.  You  will  then 
see  how  harshly  you  have  judged  us." 

But  not  thus  does  our  calm,  deliberate  Christian  rea- 
son decide.  We  perceive  that  we  are  giving  way  to  a 
subtle  illusion  when  we  would  fain  persuade  ourselves  of 
the  innocuousness  of  this  relation  as  ordinarily  held.  "We 
cannot  hide  from  ourselves  the  fact  of  a  stupendous 
moral  wrong  involved  in  the  virtual  assertions  which 
buttress  the  system  as  a  whole.  And  as  "  there  is  no 
sin  without  a  sinner,"  and  the  essence  of  the  evil  of 
slavery  lies  in  the  animus  with  which  the  relation  is 
maintained,  we  cannot  but  urge  the  laying  aside  of  that 
animus^  to  wit:  the  mental  affirmation  of  a  right 
which  Grod  never  gave,  and  man  could  not.  This  is  the 
principal  to  which  everything  else  is  accessory.  There 
are  a  thousand  adventitious  evils  and  mischiefs  which 
may  or  may  not  characterize  the  actual  working  of  the 
institution,  such  as  the  ignorance,  the  degradation,  the 
depravity,  the  licentiousness,  the  oppression,  the  cruelty, 
and  other  abominations  that  are  prone  to  cluster  around 
the  parent  stock  of  servitude.  But  these  are  accidental. 
The  central  evil,  the  essential  enormity,  which  we  recog- 
nize in  slavery,  is  the  claim  of  property  in  a  human  be- 
ing; and  this  claim  we  challenge  in  the  name  of  Jus- 
tice, Mercy,  and  Charity.  The  undelayed  renunciation 
of  this  false  assumption  we  urge  upon  the  man  of  the 
New  Church  who  may  be  expected  to  heed  the  appeal 
of  principles  so  sacred  in  his  eyes.  For,  if  such  be  the 
essence  of  slavery,  what  inference  more  legitimate  than 
that  the  essence  of  emancipation  is  directly  the  reverse, 
to  wit :  the  mental  renunciation  of  the  claim  in  question. 
The  one  is  the  direct  counterpart  of  the  other.  If  the 
one  is  morally  interdicted,  the  other  is  morally  obligatory. 
In  thus  renouncing,  abnegating,  and  disavowing  the 
fundamental  slave  axiom,  lie  jmforms  tliat  which  is  the 
essential  element  of  emancii^ation.  A  mental  act  of  this 
nature  strikes  at  the  very  root  of  the  evil,  inasmuch  as 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  195 


when  sincere  it  puts  an  end  at  once  to  the  traffic  in 
human  beings.  A  man  who  honestly  renounces  the  fal- 
sity under  consideration  can  neither  buy  nor  sell,  since 
this  necessarily  supposes  the  validity  of  the  claim  of 
property.  This  assumption  we  trust  wc  have  shown  to 
be  groundless,  and  therefore  no  action  can  properly  be 
built  upon  it  which  would  imply  the  contrary. 

We  have  reached,  then,  if  we  mistake  not,  by  a  fair 
process,  tlie  conclusion  that  there  is  an  immediate,  duty 
in  the  premises  incumbent  on  the  slaveholder  ;  one  too 
which  involves  the  very  essence  of  emancipation,  and 
that  without  violating  any  of  the  established  laws  of  di 
vine  order,  when  those  laws  are  rightly  apprehended.  It 
is  a  duty  directly  imperative  upon  the  individual  irre- 
spective of  any  human  enactments  legitimating  the  as- 
serted but  unfounded  claim  of  property,  for  no  earthly 
statute  is  authorized  to  contravene  an  eternal  dictate  of 
Heaven ;  nor  may  any  legislature  presume  to  invade  the 
province  of  private  conscience,  and  interpose  a  veto  to 
any  decision  of  the  soul  which  is  prompted  by  a  supreme 
regard  to  the  will  of  God.  All  such  enactments  are  of 
course  null  and  void  in  foro  conscientue,  as  in  fact  is 
every  ordinance  of  man  which  conflicts  with  the  higher 
law  of  divine  order. 

But  while  we  hold  most  strenuously  to  the  impera- 
tive obligation  of  this  duty,  as  now  defined,  we  reject 
the  inference  which  might  be  drawn  from  it,  that  the  im- 
mediate disruption  of  all  the  bonds  connecting  master 
and  slave  must  necessarily  ensue.  This  course,  we  think, 
would  be  justly  liable  to  the  exceptions  of  our  corres- 
pondent. It  would  be  just  such  a  precipitating  of  re- 
sults as  the  principles  of  the  ISTew  Church,  based  upon 
the  laws  of  true  order,  would  forbid,  and  here  it  is  that 
a  new  field  of  argument  and  action  opens  upon  us,  where 
the  dictates  of  human  prudence,  under  the  prompting 
of  Christian  charity,  are  to  be  heeded;  and  upon  this 
department  of  our  subject  we  shall  soon  be  prepared 
to  enter. 


196  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


VIII. 

Hence  one  may  be  a  slaveholder,  and  yet  be  fully  exculpated  from 
any  share  in  the  evil,  viz  :  on  the  conditions  specified  in  No.  FV.,  of 
acknowledgment  and  action  pursuant  thereto.  To  deplore  slavery 
and  acquiesce  in  it,  does  not  excuse. 

To  what  extent,  and  with  what  limitations,  we  accord 
with  the  purport  of  this  aphorism  will  be  easily  inferred 
from  the  tenor  of  our  preceding  remarks.  When  it  is 
affirmed  that  "  one  may  be  a  slaveholder,  and  yet  be 
fully  exculpated  from  any  share  in  the  evil,"  the  conditions 
under  which  alone  this  position  can  hold  good  had  need 
be  very  exactly  and  punctiliously  defined.  Beyond  ques- 
tion, the  moral  character  of  the  relation  of  master  and  ser- 
vant depends,  as  we  have  already  more  than  once  observ- 
ed, upon  the  anirmis  of  the  master  in  sustaining  it.  Our 
first  article  on  the  subject  contains  the  remark,  that  there 
is  an  essential  difierence  in  the  moral  character  of  the  re- 
lation as  sustained  by  one  who  holds  his  slaves  as  iona 
^de property,  and  one  who  regards  them  as  a  trust,  pro- 
videntially thrown  upon  his  hands,  and  towards  which 
he  is  called  to  discharge  a  solemn  duty  in  the  spirit  of 
the  golden  rule  of  charity,  doing  to  his  slaves  as  he 
would  be  done  by  in  similar  circumstances.  The  dis- 
tinction of  the  two  cases  is  all  important  in  the  present 
connection.  It  afibrds  the  only  clew  by  which  we  can 
determine  when  it  is  that  "  one  may  be  a  slaveholder, 
and  yet  be  fully  exculpated  from  any  share  in  the  evil." 
The  sole  condition,  in  our  opinion,  on  which  this  immu- 
nity from  evil  can  be  affirmed  is,  that  he  mentally  re- 
nounce the  fundamental  principle  on  which  the  whole 
system  rests,  and  in  which  the  essential  evil  is  involved, 
and  then  follow  up  this  renunciation  with  the  appropriate 
course  of  action.  If  this  is  what  the  author  intends  by 
the  "  acknowledgment"  and  "action  pursuant  thereto," 
specified  in  the  aphorism,  we  have  no  great  difficulty  in 
acceding  to  it.  But  we  should  insist  that  it  cover  in  im- 
port the  entire  ground  of  our  previous  definitions  and 
explications,  ere  we  give  it  our  cordial  assent,  for  we 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLmON.  197 


cannot  abate  an  iota  of  the  stringency  of  our  demand  on 
the  score  of  the  lyrincipU  to  be  renounced,  as  nothing 
short  of  this  renunciation  will,  in  our  view,  absolve  the 
conscience  from  all  participation  in  the  evil. 

The  language  of  the  aphorism  referred  to  we  will 
here  repeat :  "  They  have  not  slavery  imputed  to  them, 
who  acknowledge  it  to  be  an  evil,  and  act  for  the  re- 
moval of  it,  socially  and  politically,  according  to  the  laws 
of  order."  We  have  already  conceded  the  merit  of 
sound  doctrine  to  this  position,  and  it  is  because  it 
affords  so  fitting  a  stand-point  from  which  to  urge  home 
the  appeal  to  conscience,  that  we  re-adduce  it.  Taking 
it  for  granted  that  the  "  acknowledgment"  in  question  in- 
volves no  less  than  the  mental  abandonment  of  the  pro- 
perty-claim, our  next  concern  is  to  ascertain  what  is  the 
appropriate  action  that  the  laws  of  charity  and  order 
prescribe  in  the  premises.  And  here  it  is,  in  the  answer 
to  this  question,  that  we  stand  at  the  dividing  point  be- 
tween ourselves  and  the  mass  of  anti-slavery  men,  with 
whose  ultimate  objects  we  fully  sympathize,  and  whose 
logical  argument  in  regard  to  the  fundamental  falsity 
underlying  the  system  of  American  slavery,  we  deem 
absolutely  impregnable.  "While  we  hold  to  the  duty  of 
immediate  emancipation^  as  above  defined,  we  should 
have  abundant  qualifications  to  specify  and  insist  upon 
before  admitting  the  duty  of  immediate  manumission  io 
be  equally  imperative.  We  have  no  doubt  that  this  will 
be  regarded  by  many  as  a  virtual  abandonment  of  the 
ground  we  have  hitherto  maintained  ;  as  a  practical  nul- 
lifying of  all  that  we  have  thus  far  established,  and  the 
ministering  of  a  comfortable  quietus  to  the  conscience 
which  had  perhaps  begun  to  be  hopefully  disturbed. 
Of  this  every  one  must  form  his  own  opinion.  Our  con- 
cern is  to  follow  what  we  conceive  to  be  the  leading  of 
truth,  and  for  ourselves  we  have  but  little  fear  of  the 
issue  with  those  who  are  fully  penetrated  with  the  con- 
viction of  the  soundness  of  our  main  position  in  regard 
to  the  essential  evil  of  slavery,  and  of  the  consequent 
duty  of  the  immediate  renunciation  of  that  evil.  In- 
18 


198 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


deed,  we  see  so  mt^cA  involved  in  the  mental  act  enjoined, 
that  when  sincerely  put  forth  we  no  more  hesitate  to  as- 
sure ourselves  of  the  right  results  in  the  end  than  we  do 
of  the  ripening  and  gathering  of  the  liarvest  when  the 
seed  is  sown,  the  soil  good,  and  the  "skyey  influences" 
of  sun  and  rain  have  been  duly  contributed.  We  are 
no  more  certain  that  true  repentance  will  work  true  re- 
formation, than  we  are  that  tliis  mental  state  will  prompt 
its  appropriate  ultimation.  The  truth  is,  the  grand  point 
is  gained  when  the  above  mentioned  act  takes  place,  for 
such  an  act  is  the  negation  of  the  positive  wrong  in- 
volved in  the  system  ;  and  what  is  "  learning  to  do  well," 
but  ceasing  to  do  evil  ?"  If  any  course  of  conduct  is 
justly  denominated  evil,  and  as  such  comes  within  the 
range  of  the  prohibitory  precepts  of  Heaven,  what  more 
obvious  than  that  the  very  first  duty  of  the  delinquent  is 
to  forhear  the  actual  doing  of  the  wrong  in  question. 
In  the  case  before  us,  the  essence  of  the  wrong-doing  is 
not  in  the  oppression  or  cruelty  which  may  chance  to  be 
exercised  towards  the  slave,  for  oppression  and  cruelty 
are  exercised  where  slavery  does  not  exist,  but  in  the  as- 
sertion of  a  claim  which  gives  one  man  the  absolute  and 
unlimited  control  over  the  person,  powers,  and  posses- 
sions of  another  without  his  consent.  This  claim  is  recog- 
nized by  the  laws  of  the  slave  States  as  a  valid  right, 
while  in  the  eye  of  the  Divine  law  it  is  regarded  as  a 
nullity.  What  then  is  the  demand  of  the  Divine  law, 
but  the  cordial  and  unreserved  giving  up  of  the  principle 
which  constitutes  the  gravamen  of  the  offence  as  viewed 
in  the  light  of  eternal  trutli  and  justice  ?  In  virtue  of 
this  fictitious  claim  and  fancied  right,  men,  women,  and 
children  are  bought  and  sold  like  any  other  marketable 
commodities,  and  various  wrongs  inflicted  which  would 
not  be  but  for  the  asserted  but  baseless  claim  of  pro- 
perty. Now  inasmuch  as  the  sincere  mental  renuncia- 
tion of  this  alleged  right  of  ownership  lays  the  axe  di- 
rectly at  the  root  of  the  evil,  and  forbids  all  traffic  in 
these  human  chattels,  who  can  fail  to  perceive  that 
emancipation  has  fairly  won  the  day  when  this  point  of 


APHORISMS  OX  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  199 


concession  has  been  reached  ?  Is  it  possible  that  this  can 
be  denied  withont  tiie  denial  of  the  truth  of  the  whole 
train  of  our  foregoing  argument  ?  And  to  the  most 
earnest  abolitionist  we  would  put  the  question,  whether 
bis  demand  is  not  virtually  complied  with  when  the 
nature  of  the  relation  is  entirely  changed,  and  the  ab- 
horred traffic  in  human  flesh  has  come  to  an  end  ?  For 
ourselves  we  perceive,  in  the  mental  surrender  for  which 
we  plead,  so  immense  an  advance  upon  any  thing  hither- 
to accorded  to  the  "genius  of  universal  emancipation 
we  see  in  it  such  a  sacrifice  made  by  self-interest  to  the 
force  of  moral  princijjle,  that  we  cannot  find  it  in  our 
hearts  to  chide  the  delay  which  would  take  time  to 
breathe  before  proceeding  to  the  last  act  of  enfranchise- 
ment. That  this  act,  however,  will  be  performed,  if  the 
dictate  of  conscience  urging  it  he  clear ^  we  need  have  no 
doubt  when  the  mental  stand  above  described  has  been 
once  taken.  The  one  step  is  a  pledge  for  the  other. 
But  as  this  is  a  point  requiring  the  greatest  deliberation, 
and  as  we  perceive  we  should  ourselves  hesitate  on  the 
threshold  of  manumission,  so  we  can  easily  imagine  that 
others  may  labor  under  the  same  misgiving. 

It  will  no  doubt  be  objected  to  our  conclusion  that  it 
is  "lame  and  impotent;"  that  it  leaves  things  at  loose 
ends ;  that  it  supplies  an  opiate  to  the  conscience ;  that 
it  paralyzes  action  in  the  premises  :  that  it  would  foster 
that  delay  in  the  "  St.  Clares"  of  the  South  which  would 
be  the  means  of  fixing  multitudes  of  worthy  "  Uncle 
Toms"  in  hopeless  bondage  under  hard  masters.  Con- 
sistency, it  will  be  urged,  requires  that  a  precise  and  de- 
finite course  of  procedure  should  be  marked  out  for 
slaveholders  to  pursue  when  they  are  once  convinced  of 
the  paramount  duty  of  emancipation.  Manumissi  n 
papers  should  at  once  be  prepared,  and  the  needed  pro- 
tection in  this  way  secured.  Failing  this,  what  evidence 
can  any  man  have  of  the  sincerity  of  his  own  convic- 
tions of  duty?  To  this  we  reply  that  undoubtedly  every 
one  is  solemnly  bound  to  put  into  outward  act  his  in- 
ward sense  of  duty.   But  every  one  must  still  be  left,  with 


200  APHOKISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


prayer  for  Divine  guidance,  to  the  dictates  of  his  own 
mind  as  to  the  most  fitting  mode  of  compassing  the  end  to 
be  attained.  The  decision  on  this  head  cannot  be  made 
independent  of  a  thousand  circumstances  peculiar  to  the 
general  system,  and  to  the  various  individual  cases  that 
may  occur  under  it.  Of  these,  religious  slaveholders 
themselves  are  the  most  competent  judges,  and  it  is  no 
more  than  just  that  we  should  repose  so  much  confidence 
in  them  as  to  believe  that,  when  convinced  of  what 
justice  and  right  demand,  they  will  act  for  the  best  in  a 
matter  in  which  they  have  the  deepest  conceivable  inter- 
est. It  is  an  "  aphorism"  as  true  as  any  we  are  now 
considering,  that  "  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way," 
and  our  reasoning  proceeds  here  upon  the  supposition 
that  there  is  a  will.  "We  may  offer  friendly  suggestions 
to  our  brethren,  but  it  must  ever  be  with  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  inadequacy  of  our  counsel  to  meet  all  the 
exigencies  of  the  case.  The  laws,  for  instance,  of  most 
of  the  slave  States,  impose  serious  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  manumission,  and  though  these  laws  are  essentially 
unjust  and  iniquitous,  and  therefore  are  entitled  to  have 
no  moral  force  upon  the  conscience,  yet  they  constitute 
a  fact  which  cannot  be  disregarded  ;  they  operate  to  re- 
strain the  bestowment  of  freedom  very  much  as  a  high 
wall  around  an  enclosure  does  to  prevent  the  egress  of 
prisoners  confined  within  it.  They  cannot  be  left  out  of 
view  without  inflicting  penalties  and  injuries  both  upon 
master  and  slave.  The  impediment  here  is  much  the 
Bame  as  that  which  the  slave  himself  would  encounter 
were  he  to  ignore,  as  he  is  really  at  liberty  to  do,  his 
master's  asserted  right  of  ownership  in  him.  If  such  a 
claim  be,  as  we  have  endeavored  to  show,  an  intrinsic 
nullity  as  it  concerns  the  master,  it  is  in  fact  equally  so 
as  it  concerns  the  slave.  If  the  master  is  bound  to  re- 
nounce this  alleged  right,  the  slave,  who  might  have  a 
similar  perception  of  its  moral  invalidity,  is  authorized 
to  view  it  in  the  same  light.  But  it  would  be  the  height 
of  folly  to  act  on  that  conviction.  If  sufticieutly  en- 
lightened, he  would  say  with  Paul,  "  all  things  are  law- 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  AROLTTION.  201 


fill  unto  1113,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient."  As  we 
should  protest  against  the  master's  suddenly  sunder- 
ing all  the  ties  between  himself  and  his  slave,  because 
he  saw  the  non-entity  of  his  title,  so  should  we  use  the 
same  language  to  the  slave.  There  is  ?i  jjrovidential  re- 
lation established  between  them  which  the  interests  of 
both  parties  require  should  not  be  at  once  broken  up, 
any  more  than  it  should  be  sought  to  be  made  perpetual. 

And  here  our  discussion  trenches  upon  a  department 
of  the  subject  which  looms  up  to  view  more  and  more 
largely  the  nearer  we  approximate  to  it.  The  providen- 
tial aspects  of  slavery  urge  themselves,  with  great  force, 
upon  the  mind  of  the  Newchurchman.  "  The  man," 
says  Swedenborg  (Z>.  P.  189),  "  who  is  made  spiritual 
by  the  acknowledgment  of  God,  and  wise  by  the  rejec- 
tion oi  h.\s.  2yroprium,  sees  the  Divine  Providence  in  the 
universal  world,  and  in  all  and  every  particular  thereof. 
If  he  looks  at  natural  things  he  sees  it ;  if  he  looks  at 
civil  things  he  sees  it ;  if  he  looks  at  spiritual  things  he 
sees  it ;  and  this  as  well  in  the  simultaneous  as  in  the 
successive  order  of  things — in  ends,  in  causes,  in  effects, 
in  uses,  in  forms,  in  things  great  and  small ;  especially 
in  the  salvation  of  men."  To  some  of  these  aspects  we 
must  here  allude,  and  none  the  le^s  readily  because  they 
really  tell,  to  a  degree,  on  the  side  of  the  question  which 
we  are  in  main  opposing.  But  we  profess  fealty  to 
truth,  lead  where  it  will.  The  doctrine  of  Providence 
comes  before  the  man  of  the  New  Church  in  a  light  pe- 
culiar to  that  system  of  religious  verities  which  he  has 
embraced.  Viewing  it  as  he  does,  he  finds  his  field  of 
vision  vastly  enlarged;  and  the  accumulation  of  new 
facts  creates  a  wider  area  of  induction  than  is  offered  to 
the  range  of  most  other  inquirers.  To  him,  for  instance, 
is  made  known  the  fact  that  the  genius  of  the  African 
race  is  more  celestial  than  that  of  any  other  people  ;  and, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  this  single  fact  is  to  him  the 
key  by  which  he  solves  the  enigma  of  their  peculiar  des- 
tiny, whether  adverse  or  auspicious.  By  most  men  the 
hard  lot  of  this  sable  race  is  regarded  as  a  mysteriously 
18-=* 


202        ArnoEisMs  on  slavery  and  abolition. 


sovereign  dispensation  of  the  divine  wisdoni ;  and  when 
the  epithet  sovereign  is  applied  to  it,  it  is  supposed,  of 
course,  to  be  independent  of  the  operation  of  moral 
causes  on  the  part  of  its  subject,  to  which  it  can  justly  be 
referred.  An  end  of  mercy  in  the  final  issue  is  indeed 
recognized,  but  the  inscrutable  will  of  Heaven  stands  in- 
stead of  all  other  procuring  causes.  But  the  Newchurch- 
man  is  instructed  by  the  laws  of  order,  to  look  upon  this 
stern  allotment,  not  as  arbitrarily  or  gratuitously  in- 
flicted, but  as  the  legitimate  efixjct  of  an  adequate  cause, 
to  be  sought  in  their  own  moral  conditions  and  actings, 
whether  past  or  present.  That  cause  he  is  taught  to  re- 
cognize in  a  fearful  apostasy,  or  fall  from  their  primitive 
high  estate.  As  the  celestial  is  the  highest  type  of 
humanity,  a  fall  from  that  plane  would  of  course  preci- 
pitate its  subjects  into  the  lowest  depths  of  debasement 
and  wretchedness.  In  the  ^jrofound  depression  and 
degradation,  therefore,  of  the  negro  race,  we  read  the 
evidence  of  a  disastrous  lapse  from  a  proportionate  ele- 
vation, marked  vestiges  of  which  still  remain  visible  to 
the  naked  eye,  to  say  notliing  of  the  testimony  which  M-e 
derive  on  this  head  from  Swedenborg's  revelations  of  the 
African  genius  in  the  other  life.  In  their  national  love 
of  musical  sounds  we  see  a  clear  indication  of  the  pre- 
dominance of  affection  in  their  nature,  while,  in  the 
characteristic  willingness  to  serve,  we  perceive  a  dim 
reflex  of  that  spirit,  so  ]n-e-eminently  heavenly,  which 
23rompts  every  one  to  be  tlie  least  of  all  and  the  servant 
of  all.  This  process  of  decline  and  deterioration  has  un- 
doubtedly been  going  on  from  a  period  of  the  most  re- 
mote antiquity,  as  is  to  be  inferred  from  its  having,  in  all 
probability,  gradually  wrought  among  its  sequences  a 
change  of  color — an  effect  to  which  ages  would  be  requi- 
site— though  the  utter  absence  of  all  records  renders  it 
impossible  to  affix  anything  like  definite  eras  to  their 
historic  developments  and  transitions.  But  the  grand 
fact  of  their  fall,  through  successive  generations,  from  a 
primitive  state  of  celestial  innocence  and  purity,  to  one 
of  degradation  and  misery,  may  be  rested  in  as  an  un- 
questionable certainty. 


APnOEISilS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


203 


Now  it  is  upon  this  fact  that  the  Newchurchman  per- 
ceives the  grand  series  of  providential  dispensations  to- 
wards the  colored  race  to  be  founded.  He  sees  that  they 
are  of  a  distinctly  retributive  character,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  an  ulterior  end  of  mercy  pervades  them 
from  their  commencement  to  their  consummation. 
Denying  to  these  dispensations  anything  of  a  vindictive 
quality,  we  are  still  authorized  to  look  upon  them  as  an 
illustration  of  the  principle  enounced  by  Solomon:  "  Be- 
hold, the  righteous  shall  be  recompensed  in  the  earth ; 
much  more  the  wicked  and  the  sinner."  With  all  our 
virtuous  sympathy  towards  the  oppressed  and  down- 
trodden sons  of  Africa,  it  is  proper  ever  to  remember 
that  under  the  divine  administration  "  the  curse  cause- 
less does  not  come,"  and  that  their  present  bitter  lot  tells 
a  long  stor}'^  of  apostasy,  deterioration,  cruelty,  crime,  and 
vice  of  every  form.  Nothing  is  gained  to  the  cause  of 
truth  by  attempting  to  wink  unwelcome  facts  out  of 
sight.  Of  Africa  as  of  Babylon  it  must  be  said  that  she 
is — fallen,  fallen  !  Bat  unlike  Babylon  she  is  not  fallen 
beyond  the  hope  of  recovery.  Africa,  even  in  her  deso- 
lation may  say  :  "  For  we  must  needs  die,  and  are  as 
water  spilt  on  the  ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered  up 
again ;  yet  doth  God  devise  means  that  his  banished  be 
not  expelled  from  him." 

"We  have  said  that  the  sufferings  of  the  black  man, 
as  originating  in  slavery,  are  providentially  retributive. 
And  on  this  head  we  should  have  a  strong  assurance, 
even  if  history  were  silent,  that  the  very  form  of  their 
sin  could  be  read  in  their  punishment.  But  history  is 
not  silent.  The  evidence  is  ample  that  during  the  lapse 
of  centuries,  the  habit  of  war  and  the  pr<actice  of  slavery 
have  been  rife  among  the  savage  tribes  of  the  land  of 
Ham.  "War  alone  would  seem  to  have  been  capable  of 
rousing  their  inbred  sluggishness  to  action ;  and  when 
engaged  in  their  perpetually  recurring  feuds  and  forays, 
it  is  Jiotorious  that  the  most  infernal  cruelties,  crowned 
by  cannibalism,  have  ever  distinguished  tlieir  conduct 
towards  their  captives.    Out  of  the  sixty  millions  which 


204  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


at  any  given  time  peopled  the  continent  of  Africa  it  is 
computed  that  forty  millions  might  safely  be  set  down  as 
the  proportion  reduced  to  a  state  of  slavery.  And  this, 
be  it  remembered,  is  a  state  of  things  which  is  of  no 
recent  origin,  but  has  been  subsisting  among  them  for 
many  ages.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  imagine  that  it  has 
sprung  up  from  the  contact  of  Europeans  and  the  ac- 
cursed cupidities  of  the  slave  trade.  It  may  have  been 
stimulated  from  this  source,  but  long  before  a  slave  was 
exported  from  the  African  shore  this,  with  its  accompa- 
niments, was  the  crying  sin  of  these  wretched  savages, 
and  all  the  more  aggravated  from  the  fact  of  being  per- 
petrated by  those  who  had  once  reflected  most  brilliantly 
the  goods  and  glories  of  a  celestial  caste. 

We  have  no  hesitation,  therefore,  in  regarding  Ameri- 
can slavery  as  a  direct,  though  long-delayed,  providential 
penalty,  visited  upon  its  victims  in  the  way  of  righteous 
reprisal  for  a  similar  oppression  of  which  they  themselves 
have  been  guilty.  Of  the  principle  which  is  operative  in 
this  allotment,  Swedenborg  says,  "It  derives  its  origin 
from  the  Divine  law  of  doing  uutootheis  as  we  would  that 
they  should  do  unto  us.  This  law  in  heaven  is  the  law 
of  mutual  love  or  charity,  whence  there  exists  what  is 
opposite  in  hell,  viz.,  that  what  any  one  does  to  another, 
the  same  is  done  to  himself;  not  that  they  who  are  in 
heaven  do  it,  but  they  who  are  in  hell  do  it,  for  the  retri- 
bution of  retaliation  exists  from  opposition  to  that  law  of 
life  in  heaven."  Although  it  is  in  hell  that  this  law  as- 
serts itself  most  conspicuously,  yet  it  is  a  law  that  obtains 
also  in  the  present  life. 

It  will  be  of  course  the  grossest  perversion  to  construe 
this  train  of  remark  into  a  justification  of  the  agency  by 
which  the  negro  has  been  reduced  to  bondage,  notwith 
standing  it;  is  thus  that  the  ends  of  heaven  are  eftected. 
The  Lord  "shaves  by  an  hired  razor,"  and  neither  axe, 
saw,  nor  rod  are  to  boast  themselves  against  Him  that 
wieldeth  them.  After  making  "the  Assyrian  the  rod  of 
his  anger  and  the  staff  of  his  indignation,"  and  giving 
him  a  "  charge  to  take  the  spoil,  and  take  the  prey,  and 


APHOKISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  205 


to  tread  down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets,''  he  can  still 
justly  "  punish  the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the  king  of 
Assyria,  and  the  glory  of  his  high  looks,  for  in  his  heart 
he  meaneth  not  so."  And  the  meaning  or  intention  is 
what  determines  the  character  of  acts. 

The  scope  of  what  we  have  thus  far  adduced  on  this 
head  is  simply  to  show,  that  over,  beyond,  and  beneatli 
all  human  counsels  and  aims  in  this  matter,  the  Lord 
has  liis  own  penal  and  yet  merciful  ends  to  accomplish, 
and  that  to  these  ends  it  is  not  needful  that  the  man  of 
the  New  Church,  whether  a  slaveholder  or  not,  should 
be  blind.  Although,  as  a  general  principle,  we  learn 
that  man  does  not  manifestly  perceive  and  feel  the 
operation  of  the  Divine  Providence,  yet  when  one's  in- 
terior state  is  in  accordance  with  the  divine  will,  and  he 
is  thus  in  sympathy  with  its  ultimate  ends,  we  see  not 
that  he  is  forbidden  to  look  into  those  ends,  or  incapaci- 
tated from  yielding  them  an  intelligent  and  cordial  co- 
operation. The  great  question  in  fact  for  a  well-princi- 
pled slaveholder,  who  is  favored  with  the  light  of  the 
New  Jerusalem,  is  to  determine  how  he  shall  fall  in  with 
the  "stream  of  Providence,"  as  it  regards  its  benignant 
ends  towards  the  slave,  while  at  the  same  time  he  is  to  be 
perfectly  faithful  to  the  monitions  of  his  own  personal 
conscience,  uttering  its  dicta  of  absolute  right  unswerved 
by  selfish  interests. 

What  shall  we  say  then  of  the  ulterior  practical  duty 
of  the  slave-master  over  and  beyond  the  mental  disown- 
ing of  the  fundamental  principle  of  the  system  on  which 
we  have  hitherto  insisted  ?  For  ourselves  we  see  not  how 
the  question  is  to  be  answered,  except  in  full  view  of  the 
considerations  following,  some  of  which  we  have  already 
adverted  to.  Putting  them  into  the  form  of  propositions 
they  stand  substantially  thus  : 

1.  The  African  race  having  sunk  by  gradual  decline  to 
the  lowest  state  of  degradation,  misery,  and  crime,  the 
order  of  the  Divine  Providence  towards  them  requires 
that  as  they  have  sown  the  wind,  they  should  reap  the 
whirlwind — that  in  order  to  their  regeneration  and  spirit- 


206  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


ual  elevation  they  should  undergo  a  previous  discipline 
of  vastation  which  is  being  wisely  accomplished  by  their 
lot  of  bitter  bondage.  This  fact,  however,  is  to  be  held 
in  perfect  consistency  with  the  criminality  of  those  who 
are  the  active  agents  in  their  oppression. 

2.  The  circumstances  of  the  first  origination  and  of  the 
subsequent  perpetuation  of  slavery  in  our  country  are  es- 
sentially different.  Wiien,  after  the  passing  away  of  the 
first  generation  of  the  enslaved,  their  descendants  are 
born  into  the  condition  of  servitude,  and  consequently 
have  no  opportunity  to  know  any  other,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  intensity  of  the  sutl'ering  under  which  they 
groan  is  somewhat  abated,  as  the  aggravation  of  contrast 
does  not  operate.  So,  on  the  other  hand,  the  circum- 
stance of  a  people  being  born  into  the  condition  of  mas- 
ters, as  a  hereditary  distinction,  constitutes  a  fair  ground 
of  charitable  allowance  on  the  score  of  whatever  moral 
wrong  may  be  involved  in,  or  grow  out  of,  the  relation. 
It  were  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  those  who  were  born 
to  this  inheritance,  when  they  see  the  relation  existing 
everywhere  around  them,  and  seldom  or  never  question- 
ed, should  be  led  to  question  it  themselves  apart  from 
foreign  prompting.  But  when  this  is  done,  and  the  light  of 
truth  is  strongly  concentrated  upon  the  true  character  of 
the  system,  the  extenuation  arising  from  this  source  is  done 
away.  When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  conduct  of  the  sons 
ahows  beyond  dispute  that  they  approve  and  appropriate 
the  deeds  of  their  fathers,  they  take  upon  themselves 
whatever  of  criminal  responsibility  attached  to  the  first 
act  of  fraud,  depredation,  and  oppression,  which  fixed 
the  doom  of  bondage  in  a  foreign  clime  on  the  natives  of 
Negro  land.  But  it  is  obvious  that  in  numerous  cases 
the  entail  would  not  be  cordially  accepted,  when  its  gen- 
uine character  came  to  be  understood,  and  in  such  cases 
the  relation  of  master  and  slave  is  as  involuntary  on  the 
part  of  the  master  as  it  is  on  that  of  the  slave.  To  both 
parties  it  is  a  compulsory  relation,  but  as  it  has  not  been 
of  their  own  seeking,  the  hand  of  the  Divine  Providence 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  207 


is  to  be  devoutly  recognized  in  it,  and  co-operation  with 
the  end  of  that  Providence  to  be  diligently  studied. 

3.  The  abjectness  to  which  the  African  race  has  reduced 
itself  is  such  as  to  involve  a  degree  of  imbecility  that 
makes  it  almost  inevitable  that  they  should  fall  under  the 
controlling  iniluence  of  some  superior  class.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  conceive  that  this  surveillance  and  predomi- 
nance might,  under  proper  limitations,  be  of  essential 
service  to  them  in  the  way  of  moral  discipline.  But  then 
those  upon  whom  it  devolves  are  to  bear  in  mind  that  the 
Divine  Providence  does  not  intend  that  this  pupilage 
should  be  perpetual,  and  therefore  they  are  never  to  lose 
sight  of  the  elevation  of  the  black  man  as  an  end. 

4.  There  can  be  nothing  required  in  the  duty  of  eman- 
cipation which  shall  supersede  the  obligation  of  that  pe- 
culiar guardianship  which  the  incapacity  of  the  Negro 
demands.  In  their  present  circumstances  it  is  to  the  in- 
fluence of  slavery,  in  great  measure,  that  that  incapacity 
is  due,  and  nothing  could  be  more  unjust  than  that  those 
who  have  been  its  authors  should  take  advantage  of  their 
own  wrong,  and  make  conscience  itself  a  plea  for  the 
cruel  dereliction  of  their  helpless  serfs.  A  debt  of  jus- 
tice and  of  charity  is  due  them.  They  claim,  at  the 
hands  of  those  who  have  oppressed  and  impoverished 
them,  such  indemnity  as  they  can  render — the  indemnity 
of  that  culture,  mental  and  moral,  which  shall  lit  them 
for  freedom  here,  and  for  felicity  hereafter. 

The  tenor  of  the  preceding  discussion  has,  if  we  mis- 
take not,  paved  the  way  for  a  more  definite  enunciation 
of  what  we  conceive  to  be  the  law  of  charity  in  the  mat- 
ter before  us.  We  have  seen  that  there  are  certain 
general  considerations  suggested  by  the  providential 
relations  of  slavery,  which  imperatively  require  to  be 
taken  into  the  account  when  the  casuistry  of  the  subject 
comes  in  question.  We  have  seen  that  while  there  is  an 
immediate  duty  of  emanciioation  incumbent  upon  the 
holder  of  slaves,  it  is  not  at  the  same  time  the  duty  of 
immediate  emancipation^  for  there  is  doubtless  an  im- 
portant though  nice  distinction  between  the  two,  the  na- 

I 


208 


APnORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


ture  of  which  will  be  sufficiently  obvious  from  what  we 
have  already  said  The  duty  of  entering  at  once  upon 
the  incipiency  of  an  emancipating  process  we  have  ai'gaed 
at  leugth;  and  as  this  duty  urges  itself  upon  the  indivi- 
dual in  the  first  instance,  we  are  warranted  in  pressing 
home  the  appeal  to  every  one  who  can  feel  the  force  of 
Christian  obligation,  to  obey  the  dictates  of  conscience 
wholly  irrespective  of  the  co-operation  or  kindred  con- 
victions of  others.  He  is  not  in  fact  at  liberty  to  merge 
himself  in  the  community,  and  await  legislative  action 
before  he  himself  acts.  Each  one  is  to  do  that  which,  if 
every  other  one  did,  the  devoutly  desired  consummation 
would  take  place.  By  mentally  abnegating  the  central 
falsity  and  evil  of  the  system,  without  reference  to  any 
other  will  than  the  will  of  Heaven,  he  does  in  effect 
"  wash  his  hands  in  iimocency,"  as  far  as  "  the  great 
transgression"  of  slavery  is  concerned.  Other  men  have 
their  duty  to  perform  as  he  has  his,  and  they  are  not  to 
wait  for  each  other. 

But  supposing  this  duty  thus  far  performed — which 
we  may  call  the  duty  of  repentance — then  the  dnty  of 
good  works,  or  of  justice,  mercy,  and  ecpity  to  the  slave, 
becomes  imperative.  And  here  we  would  endeavor  to 
make  the  slaveholder's  case  our  own.  "VVe  would  put  our 
soul  in  his  soul's  stead,  and  whatever  we  clearly  see 
would  be  our  duty  in  the  supposed  case,  we  are  forced 
to  consider  as  his  duty  in  the  actual  case.  And  having 
settled  it  as  our  first  duty  to  make  a  mental  renunciation 
of  the  false  principle  lying  at  the  foundation  of  the  sys- 
tem, it  seems,  in  the  next  place,  an  inevitable  inquiry 
whether  duty  would  fairly  require  the  making  known  to 
our  slaves  the  change  that  had  taken  place  in  our  own 
minds,  the  proclaiming  to  them  that  we  no  longer  re- 
garded them  as  our  properly,  and  the  assuring  them  at 
the  same  time  that  we  should  take  immediate  measures 
for  setting  them  legally  free.  This  might  seem,  at  first 
blush,  to  be  the  only  consistent  course  which  a  good  man 
could  pursue  in  the  premises,  and  one  so  obvious  that 
there  could  be  no  room  for  the  least  hesitation.    But  we 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  209 


see  clearly  tliat  we  should  hesitate,  and  that  we  should 
have  good  reasons  for  hesitating,  for  we  could  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  ignore  the  resulting  consequences  of  the  step. 
So  far  as  we  are  able  to  judge,  no  end  of  true  benevolent 
use  or  neighborly  love,  would  be  subserved  by  such  an 
announcement.  We  cannot  perceive  that  the  master 
would  thereby  be  enabled  any  better  to  compass  the 
good  of  his  slave  than  if  he  preserved  the  most  rigid 
silence  as  to  his  interior  views  and  purposes.  Such  an 
announcement  might  lead,  on  the  part  of  the  slaves,  to 
restlessness  and  insubordination,  and  other  mischiefs, 
while  it  would  do  nothing  to  advance  their  real  interests. 
They  would  of  course  be  informed  on  this  bead  in  due 
time,  when  better  prepared  for  it.  Meanwhile  the  in- 
terior conviction  which  we  have  supposed  to  have  sprung 
up  in  the  mind  of  the  slaveholder  is  not  to  be  without 
fruit.  Fidelity  to  acknowledged  principles  will  require 
that  he  should  act  as  well  as  feel ;  and  his  actions  should 
be  in  accordance  with  his  feelings.  He  is  bound  to  carry 
out  into  ultiniation  those  views  of  truth  and  duty  which 
have  become  established  in  his  mind,  tending  to  elevate 
the  slave,  and  to  fit  him  for  that  form  of  freedom  which 
infinite  wisdom  designs  him  to  enjoy.  He  is  bound  in  a 
firm,  temperate,  and  dignified  manner  to  exert  his  influ- 
ence to  bring  his  fellow-citizens  to  think  and  act  with 
himself  on  the  subject,  and  to  agitate  for  the  repeal  of 
all  those  despotic  laws  wliich  tend  to  frustrate  the  ends 
of  the  Divine  mercy  in  regard  to  the  enslaved.  He  is 
called  upon  to  brave  reproach,  odium,  ostracism — every 
consequence  that  may  ensue  upon  the  conscientious  car- 
rying out  of  his  principles.  Doing  this,  he  in  effect  ac- 
quits himself  of  all  evil  participation  in  the  system,  and 
in  the  Divine  estimate  will  be  considered  as  having 
"  broken  the  yoke  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free." 

It  is  clear,  however,  that  the  course  now  indicated  is 
one  that  can  never  be  followed  except  by  those  with  whom 
profound  religious  principle  is  paramount.  It  involves 
too  much  self  denial  and  self-sacrifice  to  be  acted  upon 
by  any  others  than  those  who  are  willing  "  to  lose  their 
19 


210  APnORISMS  ON  SLAVEHY  AND  ABOLITION. 


lives  that  they  may  save  thein."  We  cannot  but  be  sen- 
sible that  such  a  course  requires  nothing  short  of  a  mar- 
tyr spirit  in  those  who  may  be  moved  to  enter  upon  it. 
And  from  this  fact  it  must  be  evident  to  what  a  limited 
extent  the  views  now  advanced  will  be  entertained.  But 
we  are  not  to  "  diminish  aught"  from  the  stern  requisi- 
tions of  the  moral  code  to  which  this  subject  is  amenable. 
And  we  are  therefore  bound  to  say,  that  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility, under  the  Divine  government,  of  escaping  the 
penalties  of  wrong  doing,  even  though  we  may  ourselves 
have  had  no  other  than  a  hereditary  relation  to  the  wrong 
in  question.  All  evil,  and  especially  that  of  slaveholding, 
is  a  quick-set  hedge  which  one  can  neither  get  into  nor 
out  of  without  laceration.  A  man  must  be  willing  to 
part  with  his  property,  and  even  to  lay  down  his  life,  if 
needs  be,  for  conscience'  sake.  Still  it  is  a  pleasant  coun- 
tervailing reflection  that,  in  point  of  feet,  this  extremity  of 
sacrifice  is  often  precluded  in  the  hidden  workings  of  the 
Divine  Providence.  An  unfeigned  willingness'^  meekly 
to  resign  everything  from  the  force  of  moral  principle,  is 
often  accepted  by  the  Divine  clemency  for  the  fact,  and 
the  subject  of  it  exempted  froin  the  actual  privation  which 
he  was  led  to  anticipate.  In  some  myeterious  way  compen- 
sative dispensations  occur,  by  which  not  only  is  outward 
impoverishment  repaid  by  inward  riches,  but  even  tem- 
porallosses  are  made  up  by  temporal  gains.  "While,  there- 
fore no  one  can  assure  himself  that  he  will  not  actually 
be  called  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  he  is  not  at 
liberty  to  act  on  the  presumption  that  he  will  be  spared 
the  infliction  which  he  fears,  yet  he  7nay  be  spared  ;  and 
the  more  profound  is  his  humiliation  before  Heaven,  and 
the  more  submissively  he  kisses  the  rod,  the  more  reason 
is  there  for  the  hope  of  exemption. 

We  have  thus  expounded  our  idea  of  the  true  nature 
of  emancipation  as  dictated  by  the  laws  of  charity  and  of 
order.  It  is  a  process  which  supposes  the  continuance, 
for  the  present,  of  the  external  relation  between  master 
and  slave,  while  in  its  internal  essence  and  spirit  it  has 
undergone  an  entire  transformation,  from  the  fact  that 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLTTION.  211 


the  central  principle  on  which  the  system  rests  is  sincere- 
ly renounced.  That  the  conscientious  master  does  not  at 
once  go  the  full  length  of  manumission  is  because  of  the 
condition  of  mental  incapacity  which  slavery  has  en- 
tailed upon  its  subjects,  and  of  the  impediments  thrown 
in  his  way  by  the  existing  laws  of  the  slave  States,  to 
disregard  which  would  be  to  subject  his  bondmen  to  a 
worse  lot  tlian  to  retain  them  in  his  service  while  he  was 
doing  his  utmost  to  effect  the  removal  of  these  impedi- 
ments. The  slaveholding,  if  we  so  term  it,  which  con- 
tinues during  this  interval,  we  cannot  regard  as  a  sin 
per  se.  It  is  a  mere  temporary  duress  enforced  by  the 
stress  of  circumstances,  and  no  more  to  be  censured  than 
would  be  the  master's  retention  of  his  virtually  liberated 
slaves,  when  he  sees  that  the  sending  them  forth  would 
be  exposing  them  unarmed  and  helpless  to  prowling 
wild  beasts,  poisonous  serpents,  or  merciless  banditti.  It 
is  a  purely  Providential  barrier  which  interposes  itself 
between  the  promptings  of  his  own  mind  and  the  com- 
plete enfranchisement  of  his  bondmen.  Our  position  is, 
that  the  law  of  charity  is  satisfied  with  the  procedure 
which  we  have  indicated,  provided  there  be  no  secret, 
subtle  evasion  of  the  demands  of  conscience  on  the 
score  of  protest  and  agitation  aiming  at  a  radical  cure 
of  all  the  evils  of  the  institution. 

Nothing,  however,  is  clearer  to  us  than  that  the  course 
we  have  now  suggested  would  by  no  means  satisfy  the  ultra 
reformer.  He  will  be  content  with  nothing  short  of  an 
instant  rupture  of  all  the  bonds  that  connect  master  and 
slave,  leaving  out  of  view  the  whole  train  of  consequen- 
ces that  may  ensue  upon  the  step.  With  this  theory  of 
abolition  we  d(^  not  sympathize,  as  it  appears  to  us  wholly 
to  overlook  those  principles  of  action  which  are  so  em- 
phatically recognized  by  the  New  Church.  Acting  un- 
der the  influence  of  those  principles,  we  feel  assured  that 
an  eye  is  to  be  had  to  the  contingencies  of  our  conduct. 
The  probable  effect  of  our  decision  upon  the  welfare  of 
the  colored  man  is  an  element  which  is  to  be  taken  into 
the  account  in  determining  the  duty  owed  him.  We 


212  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


are  compelled,  then,  as  far  as  we  see,  to  forego  the 
countenance  and  co-operation  of  this  class  of  men. 
Urged  on  by  the  controlling  power  of  one  grand  idea — 
that  of  immediate  emancipation  in  every  sense  of  the  term 
— they  have  no  sympathy  to  throw  away  upon  those  who 
are  lingering  far  in  the  rear  of  their  onward  rapid  course. 

So  again  our  line  of  argument  will  appear  sadly  de- 
fective to  all  those  who  would  have  the  great  problem  of 
slavery  solved  on  grounds  that  apply  to  all  that  are  in 
any  way  concerned  with  it.  But  this  is  not  our  drift. 
We  assume  not  to  say  what  is  the  duty  of  those  who  do 
not  at  present  acknowledge  the  truths  which  are  para- 
mount in  the  estimation  of  the  man  of  the  ITew  Church. 
We  are  not  writing  for  the  promiscuous  many,  but  for 
the  select  few.  We  have  all  along  considered  ourselves 
as  addressing  those  who  were  accessible  to  the  appeal  of 
New  Church  principles,  and  who  would  therefore  duly 
appreciate  any  friendly  suggestions  that  might  aid  tliem 
in  their  ultiination.  We  have  taken  it  for  granted  that 
the  truths  which  they  receive  come  to  them  demanding 
with  an  authoritative  voice  to  he  ultimated,  and  that  too 
without  reference  to  the  action  of  others.  He  that  is 
wise  is  to  be  wise  for  himself,  and  popular  precedent  will 
weigh  with  him  but  little.  It  is  with  spirits  of  such  a 
mould  that  we  consider  ourselves  as  having  to  do. 
"  What  have  we  to  do  to  judge  tliem  that  are  without?" 
To  their  own  master  they  stand  or  foil.  We  should 
never  volunteer  to  grapple  with  the  subject  of  slavery 
on  political  grounds,  and  as  defended  by  political  men. 
Viewed  on  that  side  it  involves  problems  too  vast  and 
complicated  for  our  feeble  powers.  We  withdraw  from 
it  as  from  the  vicinity  of  a  volcanic  mountain  which  has 
begun  to  heave  and  rumble  in  token  of  speedy  eruption. 
To  mere  worldly  and  irreligious  upholders  of  the  system, 
what  could  we  say?  We  are  aiming  to  point  out  the 
legitimate  operation  of  certain  principles  in  reference  to 
those  who  acknowledge  the  obligation  of  these  princi- 
ples. In  respect  to  others,  our  first  object  would  be  of 
course  to  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  and  acknowledg- 


APHOKISMS  ON  SLAVKKY  AND  ABOLmON.  213 


meiit  of  tlie  pnnci2)les  in  question,  and  when  tliis  was 
done  they  would  come  within  the  range  of  our  remarks. 
But  previous  to  this  we  have  nothing  to  say  of  the  h'ght 
in  which  they  are  to  regard  their  duty,  though  we  have 
no  hesitation  to  speak  in  strong  terms  of  their  sin. 

It  is,  however,  no  difficult  matter  for  us  to  perceive 
that  even  in  regard  to  those  whom  we  have  especially  in 
view  in  this  discussion,  it  may  be  and  ])erhaps  will  be 
suggested,  that  the  policy  proposed  would  be  merely  a 
perpetuating  of  slavery  under  the  plea  of  discarding  it. 
To  this  we  can  only  say,  that  for  ourselves  we  regard  it 
as  in  a  majority  of  cases  the  only  practicable  course  to 
be  pursued  consistent  with  the  claims  of  genuine  justice. 
It  strikes  us  as  the  only  course  which  will  satisfy  tiie  de- 
mands of  conscience  on  the  one  hand  and  of  charity  on 
the  other.  Cases  indeed  there  undoubtedly  are  where  a 
man,  acting  in  view  of  all  the  enactments  of  the  civil 
code,  can  take  his  bondmen  to  a  free  State,  or  send  them 
to  Liberia  or  to  Canada.  When  this  can  be  done,  let  it 
be  done.  It  will  be  a  noble  benefaction.  But  in  thou- 
sands of  instances  this  course  cannot  be  counted  upon. 
The  ability  is  wanting  even  where  the  disposition  is  pre- 
sent. A  providential  hindrance  hedges  up  the  way. 
"What  alternative  then  remains  but  that  the  external  re- 
lation be  continued  for  the  present,  while  its  internal 
character  is  totally  changed  in  consequence  of  the  men- 
tal change  above  described?  To  the  Newchurchman 
the  whole  subject  will  come  up  in  the  light  of  a  provi- 
dential ordainment  bearing  upon  his  regeneration.  He 
will  safely  draw  the  conclusion  that,  all  things  consider- 
ed, his  regeneration  will  be  best  promoted  in  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  is  placed,  and  that  for  the  same  rea- 
son that  of  the  black  man  also — which  the  Lord  equally 
regards — is  under  the  best  auspices  in  the  heritage  of 
service^  not  of  slavery^  where  his  lot  has  fallen.  On  both 
sides  the  aim  should  be  the  compassing  of  the  ultimate 
ends  of  the  divine  benignity  in  reference  to  both.  To  a 
right  state  of  mind  the  relation  of  master  to  slave  will 
be,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  no  more  voluntary 


214:  APHOKISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


than  that  of  slave  to  master.  It  will  be  a  compelled  re- 
lation to  both  parties,  and  yet  both  recognizing  a  special 
providence  in  it,  it  may  be  transformed  to  a  blessing  to 
both  ;  but  in  order  to  this  its  genius  must  be  transform- 
ed by  the  mental  process  which  we  have  all  along  made 
so  prominent.'^^' 

'No  one  can  be  more  fully  aware  than  ourselves  of  the 
thousandfold  adverse  influences  that  must  in  the  slave 
States  op2)ose  the  realizing  of  the  results  which  all  good 
men  would  fain  have  brought  about  in  respect  to  this 
matter.  The  institution  itself  has  generated  a  world  of 
corrupt  sentiment  and  practice  which  prevents  its  true 
character  being  discovered  or  the  true  remedy  applied. 
It  has  for  its  supporters  thousands  of  men  who  are  totally 
reckless  of  its  moral  bearings,  and  who  ply  it  as  a  grand 
engine  for  working  out  their  worldly  weal,  with  about 
the  same  unconcern  as  the  California  miner  does  his 
crushing  machine  for  extracting  gold  froin  quartz.  Men 
of  this  stamp,  so  far  as  they  feel  the  need  of  any  justi- 
fication at  all  of  the  system  which  they  uphold,  and  as 
they  uphold  it,  are  prone  to  avail  themselves  of  pleas 
drawn  from  fallacious  sources,  the  speciousness  of  whicli 
not  unfrequently  avails  to  impose  upon  Newchurchmen 
themselves.  One  of  these  is  drawn  from  the  alleged  an- 
tagonism between  the  genius  of  the  black  and  white 
races.  The  argument  emb  idies  itself  in  tlie  proposition, 
that  two  distinct  classes  of  peoj)le,  nearly  equal  in  num- 
bers, and  yet  unlilce  in  color,  manner,  habits,  feelings, 
and  states  of  civilization,  to  such  a  degree  that  amalga- 
mation ij>y  intermarriage)  is  impossible,  cannot  divell  to- 
gether in  tJie  same  community,  unless  the  one  be  in  sub- 
jection to  the  other.  The  past  history  of  the  world  does 
undoubtedly  aflFord  some  countenance  to  tliis  idea,  and  if 
we  assume  that  the  same  principles  of  selfishness  and  the 
same  worldly  passions  are  ever  to  bear  rule  among  men, 
the  position  would  continue  to  hold  good.    But  the  man 


*  The  hints  of  our  esteemed  correspondent  on  "  The  External  Laws  of 
Order,"  in  the  August  No.  of  the  Repository,  will  be  found  extremely  per- 
tinent in  this  connection. 


APHORISMS  OX  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITIOX. 


215 


of  the  New  Church  is  taught  to  recognize  a  transform- 
ing power  in  the  truths  of  the  dispensation  now  being 
ushered  in,  which  will  eventually  so  change  the  internal 
states  of  men,  as  to  nullify  the  force  of  precedents  and 
make  the  past  no  longer  a  model  of  the  future.  We  do 
not  indeed  anticipate  any  such  millennium  as  shall  obli- 
terate national  distinctions  and  fuse  the  genius  of  differ- 
ent races  into  one  common  type,  but  we  look  for  such  a 
moulding  influence  from  the  operative  laws  of  charity, 
such  a  harmonizing  of  social  interests,  that  native  repug- 
nances, though  not  extinguished,  shall  yet  be  so  re- 
gulated and  subordinated  as  to  conduce  to  the  greater 
perfection  of  the  grand  social  man.  Every  portion  of 
that  extended  spiritual  corporeity  will  then  perform  its 
distinct  function  in  perfect  accordance  with  every  other 
portion,  and  as  there  will  then  be  servile  uses  necessary, 
so  there  will  be  those  who  have  a  native  love  of  those 
uses,  and  will  perform  them  as  cheerfully  as  the  occu- 
pants of  a  higher  plane  perform  theirs.  If  we  rightly 
read  the  African  genius  there  is  in  it  a  servile  element,  a 
something  which  prompts  them  to  occupy  a  menial 
sphere,  and  renders  them  more  happy  and  contented  in 
that  sphere  than  in  any  other.  "We  do  not  of  course  re- 
cognize in  this  fact  a  warrant  for  their  reduction  to  a 
state  of  slavery,  but  we  do  perceive  in  it  a  ground  for 
the  vohmtary  adoption  hereafter  of  service  as  the  perma- 
nent sphere  of  their  use.  All  that  is  needed  is  for  them 
to  have  an  intelligent  view  of  the  truths  of  heaven  and 
of  the  principles  of  the  Divine  Order,  and  to  yield  a 
hearty  concurrence  therewith  ;  for  the  law  of  that  order 
is  that  every  one  should  follow  his  promptings  and  adap- 
tations in  the  discharge  of  his  peculiar  functions.  Every 
function  that  is  demanded  by  the  exigencies  of  the  social 
body  is  in  itself  honorable,  and  the  language  of  the  apos- 
tle is  in  this  relation  pre-eminently  pertinent. 

"  For  03  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the  mem- 
bers of  that  one  body,  being  many  are  one  body ;  so  also  is  Christ. 
For  the  body  is  not  one  member  but  many.  If  th©  foot  shall  say,  Be- 
cause I  am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body ;  is  it  therefore  not  of 


216  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


the  body  ?  And  if  the  ear  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am 
not  of  the  body  ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  ?  If  the  whole  body 
were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  if  the  whole  were  hearing,  where 
were  the  smelling  ?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  members  every  one  of 
them  in  the  body,  as  it  has  pleased  him.  And  if  they  were  all  one 
member,  where  were  the  body  ?  But  now  they  are  many  members,  yet 
but  one  body.  And  the  eye  cannot  say  unto  the  hand,  I  have  no  need 
of  thee  ;  nor  again,  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you.  Nay, 
much  more,  those  members  of  the  body,  which  seem  to  be  more  feeble, 
are  necessary.  And  those  members  of  the  body  which  we  think  to  be 
less  honorable,  upon  these  we  bestow  more  abundant  honor,  and  our 
uncomely  parts  liave  more  abundant  comeliness.  For  our  comely 
parts  have  no  need  ;  but  God  hath  tempered  the  body  together,  having 
given  more  abundant  honor  to  that  part  which  lacked :  that  there 
should  be  no  schism  in  the  body  ;  but  that  the  members  should  have 
the  same  care  one  for  another.  And  whether  one  member  suffer,  all 
the  members  suffer  with  it ;  or  one  member  be  honored,  all  the  mem- 
bers rejoice  with  it.  Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in 
particular." 

The  perfection  of  society  is  when  all  this  is  understood 
and  acted  upon  freely  by  all  its  members.  When  thus 
acted  upon  on  a  large  scale  in  our  country,  we  see  not 
why  there  is  not  scope  for  the  colored  race  to  bring  into 
play  their  characteristic  proclivities,  forming  an  integral 
but  relatively  subordinate  part  of  the  social  man,  at  once 
without  compulsion  and  without  reproach.  There  is  cer- 
tainly truth  in  what  is  said  by  one  of  the  interlocutors  in 
"  Uncle  Tom,"  that  "  if  there  is  rough  work  to  be  done, 
there  must  be  rough  hands  to  do  it,"  and  if  there  are 
such  hands,  and  they  love  to  do  such  work,  why  should 
they  not  do  it  ?  Why  should  not  this  be  the  self-selected 
sphere  of  their  operation,  in  which  all  their  innate  ten- 
dencies shall  be  developed  without  conflict  with  any  other 
member  of  the  social  commune  to  which  they  belong? 
And  may  we  not  reasonably  suppose  that  in  this  way  the 
moral  affinity  shall  overpower  the  national  antipathy  of 
which  we  are  treating? 

Upon  one  other  specious  plea,  originating  from  this 
source,  we  will  dwell  for  a  moment.  It  is  not  imfrequently 
maintained  that  the  slavery  obtaining  in  the  American 
Union  is  countenanced  by  the  Scriptures,  and  precedents 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  217 


are  sought  with  avidity  in  the  example  of  Abraham  and 
other  patriarchs.  To  the  argument,  as  urged  on  this 
ground  by  the  advocates  of  the  system,  we  shall  not  at- 
tempt to  reply.  Mr.  Barnes  and  others,  by  the  most 
luminous  expositions,  have  shown  its  fallacy,  in  our  esti- 
mation, beyond  all  dispute.  But  when  a  New  Church- 
man has  recourse  to  Holy  Writ  for  a  justification  of  the 
system,  we  are  vastly  puzzled  to  know  how  to  take  him. 
Admitting  as  he  does,  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word, 
and  consequently  of  these  ancient  histories,  why  does  he 
here  set  aside  that  sense,  and  build  his  authority  upon 
that  of  the  letter  ?  Is  there  not  something  like  double 
dealing  here  ?  Is  there  not  a  voice  like  Jacob's  while  the 
hands  have  the  feel  of  Esau's  ?  Can  we  consistently  play 
back  and  forth  between  the  sense  of  the  letter  and  the 
sense  of  the  spirit  to  serve  a  turn  in  this  matter  ?  If  we 
can  do  it  here,  can  we  not  by  parity  of  reasoning  do  it 
also  in  the  case  of  polygamy  and  of  the  Canaanitish  wars  ? 
Are  we  j^repared  then  to  appear  to  be  so  recreant  to  our 
avowed  principles  as  to  entrench  ourselves  behind  the 
breast-work  of  the  letter,  when  on  every  other  subject  we 
should  plant  ourselves  upon  the  purport  of  the  spirit? 
We  have  not,  it  will  be  observed,  appealed  at  all  to  the 
authority  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  foregoing  discussion  ; 
and  the  reason  why  we  have  not  done  so  is,  that  the 
■principles  on  Avhich  the  great  question  is  to  be  decided 
are  principles  inlaid  in  the  constitution  and  the  intui- 
tions of  the  human  mind,  and  may  thus  be  termed  a  prior 
authority  to  that  of  the  written  Word,  though  still  ac- 
cordant with  its  true  interior  teaching.  It  would  have 
been  idle  for  us  to  have  cited  any  thing  but  the  moral 
and  preceptive  passages  which  apply  to  tlie  case,  and 
these  are  all  summed  up  in  the  grand  golden  precept  of 
doing  to  others  as  we  would  that  they  should  do  to  us. 
So  far  as  our  suggestions  have  been  in  accordance  with 
this  rule,  we  have  in  fact  built  our  plea  upon  the  author- 
ity of  the  Word  all  along  throughout  the  whole  course  of 
the  discussion,  and  from  this  source  we  deem  ourselves 
abundantly  confirmed  in  our  main  position  as  to  the  duty 


218 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLmON. 


of  the  conscientious  slaveholder,  to  wit,  that  he  should 
mentally  but  sincerely  renounce  the  evil  and  the  falsesof 
the  institution,  while  at  the  same  time  he  shall  not  con- 
sider himself  exonerated  from  the  present  charge  of  his 
freedmen,  but  shall  perform  towards  them  the  duties  in- 
volved in  the  outward  relation. 

If  it  be  objected  that  the  law  knows  no  such  casuistical 
abstractions,  but  regards  all  as  slaves  who  are  not  formally 
freed,  and  that  consequently  the  death  of  such  an  eman- 
cipator would  leave  his  servants  exposed  to  the  terrors  of 
the  auction  mart,  we  can  only  reply,  but  if  he  sincerely 
does  that  which  he  thinks  to  be  right  and  best  under  the 
circumstances,  he  is  not  required  to  burden  his  mind  with 
a  dread  of  consequences.  He  has  discharged  his  respon- 
sibility according  to  the  fullest  light  he  possessed,  and  he 
may  safely  leave  the- issues  with  Him  who  is  competent 
to  govern  them.  So  also  in  view  of  the  possibility  that 
his  children  or  heirs  may  not  share  in  his  convictions  or 
carry  out  his  wishes  after  his  decease.  He  is  bound  dur- 
ing his  lifetime  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  impress  upon 
them  his  own  sense  of  the  law  of  neighborly  love,  and  to 
acquaint  them  with  his  desires,  and  then  calmly  leave  the 
event  to  Providence. 

Having  now  accomplished  all  that  we  aimed  at,  in  the 
outset,  in  our  own  discussion,  and  waving  any  further 
comment,  we  resign  our  space  to  the  remaining  Aphor- 
isms of  our  correspondent,  (A.  E.  F.) 

IX. 

It  results  that  the  thing  properly  imputable  to  the  South  iu  regard 
to  slavery  is,  that  it  has  not  yet  originated  any  associated  and  political 
action  aiming  at  the  speedy  removal  of  its  more  crying  abuses,  and 
the  ultimate  abolition  of  all  ownership  of  man  by  man. 

X. 

The  movement  called  abolition  has  a  good  and  holy  element  in  it ; 
it  being  presumably  a  result,  together  with  many  other  efforts  towards 
reform,  of  the  last  judgment.  Slavery  like  every  other  evil  has  a  principle 
of  aggression  with  it,  whereby  it  tends,  of  its  own  nature,  to  extend 
itself  territorially,  and  to  be  aggravated  within  its  old  bounds ;  the 


APHORISMS  OS  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  219 


providential  end  of  abolition  is  to  hold  this  tendency  in  check,  and  to 
remove  slavery  itself  eventually. 

xr. 

This  good  element,  which  may  be  named  "  humanity,"  is  alloyed  by 
an  evil  one  which  may  be  called  "  impatience,"  which  produces  various 
falses,  but  principally  the  dogma  that  the  immediate  emancipation  of 
all  slaves  is  required  by  the  precepts  of  the  Christian  religion. 

XII. 

That  the  dogma  is  false,  may  appear  by  the  following  considerations. 

(a.)  Society  in  any  State  where  slavery  exists  is  in  a  certain  order. 

(b.)  This  order  is  induced  upon  it  by  the  action  of  the  Divine  Prov- 
idence itself,  according  to  the  moral  elements  which  are  found  in  it,  or, 
in  other  words  according  to  the  character  of  its  various  classes. 

(c.)  This  order,  though  not  good  in  itself  if  the  elements  are  evil  in 
whole  or  in  part,  is  the  best  possible,  the  subject  considered.  Thus 
the  order  which  obtains  in  any  of  the  hells,  though  the  opposite  of 
heavenly  order,  yet  is  induced  by  the  Lord,  and  is  the  result  of  his 
presence. 

(d.)  Where  one  class,  therefore,  is  ignorant,  vicious,  improvident, 
and  submissive,  and  another  is  intelligent,  proud,  imperious,  and  fond 
of  wealth,  the  relations  of  master  and  slave  are  permitted  by  the  Divine 
Providence  to  exist  for  the  welfare  of  both. 

(e.^  To  change  this  order  for  one  in  itself  better  (i.  e.  to  abolish  the 
relation  of  master  and  slavei,  without  a  change  in  the  moral  elements 
from  which  it  results  (i.  e.  without  producing  in  the  ruling  class  a 
sense  of  justice,  equity,  and  fraternity,  and  in  the  subject  class,  intelli- 
gence, providence,  and  probity),  is  to  destroy  Divine  Order.  To  ad- 
vocate the  change  any  farther  or  faster  than  as  this  preparation  is  made 
beforehand  is,  in  that  degree,  to  maintain  falses  which  molest  Divine 
Order. 

(/.)  The  preparation  must  necessarily  be  slow  and  gradual.  This  is 
plain,  whether  we  regard  the  internal  change  of  sentiment  which  is  to 
be  brought  about,  or  the  means,  such  as  the  truer  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  the  wider  diffusion  of  knowledge,  provision  of  the  means  of 
education,  &c.,  by  which  it  is  to  be  efifected.  These  six  considerations 
show,  it  is  hoped,  that  the  dogma  of  immediate  abolition  is  false. 

XIII. 

If  it  is  false  that  immediate  abolition  is  the  duty  of  the  South,  then  the 
South  is  justified,  to  the  extent  in  which  this  false  reigns  in  the  aboli- 
tion movement,  in  opposing  it  with  zeal,  because,  to  that  extent,  it 
acts  in  unison  with  Divine  Order,  and  for  self-preservation. 


220 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION, 


XIV. 

The  abolition  movemeut  weakens  itself  by  taking  ground  which 
has  right  and  reason  in  some  degree  against  it,  and  would  strengthen 
itself  by  tempering  its  impatience,  and  giving  up  its  demand  of  imme- 
diate abolition  as  a  duty  required  by  the  precepts  of  religion. 

XV. 

This  it  will  gradually  be  brought  to  do,  because  all  public  movements 
good  in  their  principle,  advance  by  certain  stages,  becoming  less  crude 
and  more  rational  by  time  and  experience.  It  will  hereby  pervade  the 
community  more  generally,  and  though  less  violent,  have  more  real 
power  against  the  evil  it  opposes. 

XVI. 

It  may  be  apparent,  if  the  above  principles  are  true,  what  is  every 
man's  duty  towards  abolition.  It  may  be  stated  under  the  following 
heads  : 

(1)  Never  to  deny  the  divine  element  in  it  under  pretence  of  the 
falses  connected  with  the  movement ;  on  the  contrary,  to  acknowledge 
what  is  good  and  true  in  it,  and  to  favor  and  act  with  it  to  that  ex- 
tent. 

(2)  To  bring  it,  as  far  as  possible,  more  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  Divine  Order  by  opposing  what  is  violent  about  it,  and  remonstrat- 
ing with  what  is  false. 


APPENDIX. 

As  we  had  anticipated  in  the  outset,  the  foregoing  discussion  produced  a 
very  unmistakable  sensation  amongour  Southern  subsciibers.  Letters  from 
that  quarter  soon  began  to  pour  in,  remonstrating  with  the  writer  for 
broaching  so  unpalatable  a  subject,  and  in  some  cases  ordering  the  imme- 
diate discontinuance  of  the  Repository.  These  latter  cases,  however,  were 
comparatively  few,  and  we  are  happy  also  to  state,  that  some  of  the  warm- 
est testimonies  of  approbation  elicited  by  the  articles  came  from  the  South. 
Of  these  we  published  numerous  extracts  in  our  pages  at  the  time,  as  we 
did  also  those  of  another  tone,  of  which  we  have  concluded  to  insert  in  this 
connexion  one  of  the  best  specimens,  together  with  our  reply.  It  comes 
from  the  pen  of  a  distinguished  and  much  respected  N.  C.  brother,  in  one 
of  the  Southern  states.  As  the  discussion  proceeded,  the  extreme  sensi- 
tiveness which  it  encountered  in  the  beginning  appeared  gradually  to  die 


APHORISMS  ON  SLA.TEKY  AST)  ABOLITION.  221 

away,  and  in  the  end  nearly  every  name  which  had  been  withdrawn  was 
again  restored  to  our  subscription  list.  In  view,  however,  of  the  spirit 
evinced  in  several  of  these  communications,  we  ventured  at  the  time  to  ex- 
press ourselves  in  the  following  language  : — "  We  cannot  but  suggest  to  our 
Southern  friends,  that  the  fact  that  the  sphere  of  slavery  generates  such  a 
spirit  of  intolerance,  betrays  beyond  question  the  intrinsic  evil  that  inheres 
in  it.  Can  any  further  evidence  be  needed  that  there  must  be  a  baleful 
element  in  the  institution,  when  the  very  mild  and  moderate  tone  of  our 
articles  has  not  failed  to  give  so  much  offence  and  provoke  so  much  censure 
among  those  from  whom  a  gentle  response  were  reasonably  expected  ?  Di- 
vesting ourselves  to  the  utmost  of  all  undue  selfish  regards,  and  sitting 
calmly  in  judgment  on  our  own  essays  on  the  subject,  we  are  utterly  unable 
to  see  that  we  have  advanced  anything  to  which  a  candid  mind  can  take 
exceptions.  In  the  exercise  of  a  cool  and  dispassionate  spirit,  without  vi- 
tuperation or  ill  blood,  we  have  endeavored  to  pronounce  an  honest  and  im- 
partial judgment  on  the  moral  aspects  of  slavery.  What  is  there  in  this 
that  can  justly  subject  the  writer  to  a  sinister  construction?  If  he  is 
"  thrice  strongly  armed  who  hath  his  quarrel  just,"  surely  his  panoply  must 
be  weak  indeed  who  quarrels  only  with  the  arguments  urged  against  slavery. 
And  in  the  present  case  this  intolerance  is  still  more  inexcusable  from  the 
fact,  that  the  teachings  of  the  Xew  Church  do  tend  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner  to  correct  the  extravagances  of  the  reform  spirit  and  to  bring  out 
to  view  those  aspects  of  the  subject  which  tell  most  powerfully  on  the  side 
of  the  slaveholder.  Confident  at  least  we  are  that  but  for  the  light  thrown 
on  the  subject  by  the  revelations  of  the  New  Church,  we  should  never  have 
felt  the  force,  or  even,  as  we  may  say,  have  got  upon  the  track,  of  those  ex- 
tenuating pleas  which  we  have  freely  cited  in  behalf  of  those  who  find 
themselves  compelled  by  the  circumstances  of  their  lot  to  participate  in  the 
responsibilities  of  a  relation  from  which  they  would  gladly  recede  if  they 
knew  how  consistently  to  do  it.  It  is  sincerely  to  be  hoped  that  due 
weight  may  be  given  to  these  considerations,  and  that  no  restraint  be  im- 
posed upon  the  freest  discussion  of  the  subject  within  the  church,  for  we 
can  assure  our  Southern  friends  that  nothing  will  tend  so  effectually  to  con- 
vert Northern  abolitionists  to  whatever  is  true  and  tenable  in  their  positions 
as  the  study  and  the  agitation  of  the  subject  on  genuine  New  Church 
grounds."    We  should  use  the  same  language  now. 

M  ,  Aprill2,1852. 

Mt  Dear  Sir  : — I  take  the  liberty  of  expressing  to  you  the  pain 
which  I  feel,  arising  from  the  broaching  of  the  Slavery  question  in  the 
20 


222        APHORISMS  on  slavkuy  anu  abolition. 


Repository.  If  I  may  do  so  without  oIFence,  (as  none  is  certainly  in- 
tended,) I  would  enter  my  solemn  Vjut  respectful  remonstrance  against 
the  continuance  of  tlie  discussion.  "  Cui  bono  ?"  At  the  North  and 
West  and  East,  your  argument,  however  able  (and  I  am  quite  sure  it 
will  be  able,)  can  "do  no  good,  because  not  needed  ;  all,  without  perhaps 
a  solitary  exception,  are  already  in  accord  with  you  upon  the  abstract 
question.  At  the  South  your  audience  is  not  in  a  state  of  mind  to 
appreciate  or  even  hear,  with  patience,  the  discussion.  In  this  remark 
I  do  not  intend  to  concede  or  deny  any  position  assumed  in  your  open- 
ing commentaries  upon  the  "  Aphorisms,"  for  the  reason  that  I  do  not 
desire  to  join  issue  with  you.  The  subject  has  been  discussed  in  every 
form  and  aspect,  and,  if  possible,  the  parties  to  the  debate  are  as  wide 
apart  as  when  they  began.  You  will  excuse  me,  if  I  express  my 
doubt  whether,  with  your  great  ability  and  learning,  you  will  produce 
anything  new.  The  country  has  just  passed  through  a  crisis  of  in- 
tense excitement  on  the  slavery  question,  and  the  Southern  States  are 
yet  writhing  under  the  chargin  and  humiliation  of  having  been  robbed 
in  the  name  of  philanthrophy,  and  under  the  forms  of  legislation,  of  a 
just  participation  in  our  territorial  possessions.  It  is  true,  by  large 
majorities,  they  have  accepted  the  compromise  measures ;  but  it  has 
been  under  sullen,  significant,  and  fearful  protests.  The  fury  of  the 
tempest  has  passed  from  the  bosom  of  the  deep,  but  its  waters  are  yet 
agitated  to  its  lowest  caverns.  Now,  in  all  candor,  I  appeal  to  your 
enlightened  judgment  to  decide  whether  this  be  a  propitious  time  to 
broach  a  subject  so  delicate  ?  It  must  be  obvious  that  you  are  not 
speaking  to  the  North — it  is  not  her  people  that  you  mainly  desire  to  en- 
lighten ;  for,  as  before  observed,  they  arc  with  you  already.  It  is  the 
Southern  slaveholder  that  you  would  reach  ;  it  is  to  his  judgment,  rea- 
son, and  conscience  that  you  would  present  your  ai)peal.  But  you 
come  to  him  when  he  is  stung  by  the  remembrance  of  recent  wrongs, 
when  he  is  exasperated  by  what  he  regards  an  attempt  by  those,  whose 
business  it  is  not,  to  intermeddle  with  his  domestic  rights,  peace,  and 
security.  Before  such  an  auditory,  can  you  expect  to  be  heard  ?  Sir, 
the  argument  of  an  angel  would  be  as  impotent  as  the  wailings  of  an 
infant  against  tlic  fury  of  a  tornado. 

But  let  mo  not  do  injustice  to  your  position.  Thespii'it  of  your  re- 
marks is  good— your  motive  above  suspicion,  and  you  propose,  as  a 
New  Churchman  to  speak  to  New  Churchmen.  You  are  most 
guarded  in  avoiding  the  political  aspect  ;  you  seem  designedly  to  with- 
hold all  sympathy  (I  believe  you  have  none)  with  the  fanaticism  of 
abolitionism  ;  and  you  wish  to  argue  the  question  calmly  and  dispas- 
sionately upon  New  Church  grounds.  I  appreciate  the  position  you 
take,  and  individually  I  can  say,  that  thus  far  I  detect  nothing  in  your 
remarks  in  the  least  offensive.  But  still,  pardon  my  candor  if  I  ex- 
press the  belief  that  the  discussion  will  do  infinite  mischief  to  the 
cause  of  the  New  Church  in  the  South.  In  this  section  the  number 
of  receivers  is  small,  they  are  scattered  and  isolated ;  if  they  avow 
their  doctrines  they  are  sneered  at  and  denounced  as  having  embraced 


APHORIS^rS  ON  Sr.AVEKY  AND  ABOLITION.  223 


one  amoMir  tba  m^st  absurd  isim  of  the  day.  Now  in  addition  to  all 
this,  CM\  it  be  passible  that  it  is  the  design  of  a  Good  Providence, 
that  they  shall  be  classed  with  abolitionism  ?  You  may  repudiate 
abolition  as  earnestly  a^  you  please,  you  may  disavow  it  in  behalf  of 
the  New  Church,  you  may  enter  your  solemn  protest  against  all  politi- 
cal interference  with  the  subject,  and  yet  I  must  tell  you,  that  the  dis- 
cussion which  you  have  begun  will  as  certainly  identify  the  New 
Church  with  the  odium  of  that  despicable  ism,  in  the  Southern 
estimation — just  as  certainly  as  you  prosecute  it.  Now,  do  you 
wish  to  place  your  Southern  brethren  in  such  a  position  ?  Is 
it  not  a  wrong" to  the  New  Church  to  do  so?  These  are  pointed 
((uestions,  but  they  cover  no  insinuations  or  reflections.  They  are 
prompted  by  feelings  of  great  kindness  and  respect  for  you,  and  deep 
solicitude  for  the  spread  of  the  Heavenly  Doctrines. 

Perhaps  I  may  add  strength  to  the  above  remarks,  if  I  tell  you, 
that,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  New  Church  in  the  South,  your  position 
is  both  commanding  aud  peculiar.  I  mr-an  no  flattery  ;  but  you  arc 
highly  respected  in  that  section  of  the  country  for  distinguished  talent 
and  learning,  as  well  as  honesty  of  purpose  and  conscientious  research. 
You  are  regarded  as  a  true  exponent  of  New  Church  sentiment,  doc- 
trine and  policy.  Your  Southern  brethren  look  to  you  as  an  able 
champion,  and  lean  on  you  in  times  of  onflict  and  difficulty.  All  this 
ii  trill.  Now,  connact  it  with  the  exceeding  sensitiveness  of  the  South- 
ern mind, — the  isolated  condition  of  your  brethren,  the  weakness  of  the 
New  Church,  the  thousand  other  prejudices  against  which  she  has  to 
contend,  and  then  decide  whether  it  is  just  to  yourself  aud  just  to 
Southern  receivers,  gravely,  at  this  crisis  to  promulgate  anti-slavery  as 
the  genius,  spirit,  tendency  of  the  New  Church,  aj-e,  and  duty  of  New 
Churchmen.  Allow  me  to  say,  that  I  think  you  assume  a  fearful  re- 
sponsibility, in  thus  occasioning  new  perils  and  new  trials  to  the  hopes 
and  toils  of  your  scattered  brethren  in  the  South. 

Of  course  you  will  reply  to  all  this,  that  the  South  will  have  no 
right  to  place  such  a  construction,  that  it  will  be  unfair  to  identify 
the  New  Church  with  abolition  upon  such  a  ground.  This  may  be 
true.  But  it  will  n  )t  avert  the  mischief.  This  raises  the  question  of 
expediency.  Then,  I  would  ask,  is  it  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  and 
doctrines  of  the  New  Church,  sometimes  to  consult  expediency  ?  Your 
views  on  the  quesMon  of  slavery  may  be  sound;  it  may  be  that  you 
can  sustain  thoai  by  argument,  but  doe^  duty  imperatively  demand 
that  you  should  promulgate  them  now  ?  Is  it  not  lawful,  even  under 
New  Ciuirch  light,  to  withhold  them  for  her  sake  ?  Has  she  not  difli- 
culties  enough  already  on  hand  ?  Can  they  all  be  dispatched  at  once  ? 
If  not,  and  they  are  "to  be  encountered  one  by  one,  why  may  not  this 
be  deferred  till  she  gets  more  strength,  and  her  policy  and  spirit  shall 
be  better  understood? 

You  8e>  that  the  view  I  take  is  purely  practical.  We  must  take 
the  world  as  it  is.  (lid  himself  consulted  this  great  principle  in  giv- 
ing hi-?  revelation.    He  suited  it  to  man  as  he  was.  nntural,  as  he  is. 


224 


APnOKISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION, 


somewhat  spiritual,  and  as  he  shall  be,  celestial.  Now,  ■without  ques- 
tioning the  correctness  of  your  opinion,  as  to  the  genius  of  the  New 
Church,  in  reference  to  slavery,  (for  my  aim  is  to  arrest  rather  than 
provoke  a  needless  discussion,)  I  would  ask  if  it  is  not  equally  wise 
and  lawful  for  her  to  approach  man  as  he  is — buried  in  sensualism — 
and  deal  with  the  existing  state  of  things  in  the  best,  most  prudent 
and  expedient  way,  in  order  to  elevate  the  race  to  the  spiritual 
plane  ? 

Now  without  expressing  any  opinion  on  the  abstract  question,  my 
view  of  slavery  is  simply  this.  The  relation  of  master  and  slave  has  been 
permitted  of  Providence  in  all  ages.  I  can  see  that  Southern  slavery  is 
most  wise  and  benevolent,  indicating  the  only  probable  means  by  which 
the  Afi'ican  race  can  ever  be  civilized  and  christianized.  The  work  is 
actually  in  progress,  but  is  greatly  retarded  by  the  exceeding  kind- 
ness of  our  Northern  fi-iends,  who  feel  very  anxious  to  render  some 
assistance  to  the  Lord  in  effecting  his  providential  purposes.  It  may 
be  that  the  Southern  slaveholder  is  derelict  in  duty— does  not  do 
enough.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the  Northern  so-called  philanthropist 
attempts  too  much.  Then,  the  position  of  good  sense  is  just  this  :  the 
Lord  will  do  all  things  right ;  He  will  work  out  the  ends  designed  by 
slavery.  It  concerns  us,  not  the  North.  If  we  fail  in  duty,  u-e  arc 
responsible.  We  do  know  a  little  about  relative  duties,  our  social  in- 
terests, our  domestic  security  ;  and  we  have  some  idea  of  accountabili- 
ty for  our  dealings  towards  our  slaves.  But  all  this  is  ignored  by  the 
North,  and  we  are  classed  with  pirates  and  robbers.  If  they  would 
only  let  us  alone,  how  much  good  sense  they  would  exhibit ! 

But  you  think  the  New  Church  has  a  mission  to  perform  on  this 
subject.  Yes,  and  so  think  Northern  Presbyterians  and  Methodists 
and  Baptists  in  reference  to  their  several  sects.  And  they  all  base 
their  opinions  upon  the  abstract  qiiestwn.  They  all  begin  very  moder- 
ately, very  gently  ;  offering  advice  and  argument  and  brotherly  sym- 
pathy. But  you  know  that  they  have  long  since  degenerated  into  the 
veriest  fanaticism,  in  both  discussion  and  operation.  Now,  if  the 
New  Church  enters  the  field,  where  is  the  guaranty  that  she  will  not 
run  into  similar  folly  and  extravagance  ?  It  does  seem  to  me,  that  the 
New  Church,  above  all  others,  should  confide  the  whole  subject  to 
Providence,  and  trust  to  the  enlightening  and  elevating  tendency  of 
her  doctrines. 

Southern  slavery  is  destined  to  run  a  long  career  yet.  It  is  a 
means  to  a  great  end — the  ultimate  elevation  of  the  African  race. 
Man  cannot,  if  he  would,  abolish  it  suddenly.  It  is  upon  us ;  it  is 
ours  to  do  our  duty  to  the  slave,  care  for  his  wants,  provide  for  his 
comforts,  secure  him  the  benefits  of  religion,  open  to  his  mind  the 
lofty  themes  of  immortality.  This  the  New  Church  inculcates  by  her 
spirit  and  doctrines,  in  my  judgment,  more  forcibly  than  the  Old.  At 
present,  our  negroes  cannot  be  educated.  Our  safety  forbids  it.  But 
why  ?  Because  abolition  will  tamper  with  them,  and  poison  their 
minds,  and  make  them  dissatisfied.    This  blessing  is  denied  them  for 


APHORISMS  ON  SLA.VEBY  AND  ABOLITION.  225 


this  reason,  and  this  only.  It  was  not  prohibited  by  law,  in  most  of 
the  slave  States,  until  the  abolition  agitation  began.  >iow,  I  am  not 
disposed  to  abate  a  jot  from  our  obligations.  They  are  obvious  ;  they 
press  upon  us  ;  we  are  bound  to  d.)  our  duty  to  them  ns  slaves.  If  wc 
do  it,  we  arc  free  from  sin  ;  if  we  do  it,  then  the  Lord  will  take  care  of 
results,  and  a,s  soon  as  they  are  fitted  for  liberty,  he  will  provide  the 
means.  Freedom  notv  would  be  to  them  the  greatest  calamity.  They 
could  not  exist  among  us.  They  would  be  exterminated  by  a  war 
between  the  races.  The  benevolent  and  philanthropic  North  will  not 
receive  them.  They  cannot  be  transported  :  it  would  exhaust  the  en- 
tire resources  of  the  country.  How  then  ?  We  are  brought  back 
again  to  the  grouud  of  common  sense.  Let  t'tc  shiveholcler  perforin 
With  fidelity,  Ins  duty  to  them  as  slaves,  and  then  confide  their  future  des- 
tination to  the  developments  of  a  ivise  and  good  Providence ;  and  let 
these  duties  be  performed  with  a  spirit  of  entire  and  perfect  svhordination 
to  the  indications  of  Providence. 

Now,  my  dear  sir,  if  you  are  content  to  rest  the  subject  upon  that 
ground,  I  think  you  will  see  that  your  •'  aphorisms"  and  comments  are 
unnecessary,  calculated  to  do  no  good,  but  much  mischief.  And  if  to 
this  you  wiU  connect  the  confidence,  that  we  of  the  South  are  daily 
considering  the  subject  in  all  its  aspects,  that  there  is  intelligence 
enough  among  us  to  know  our  duty,  and  honesty  enough  to  do  it,  if 
we  can  be  allowed  to  do  it  in  our  own  way,  without  the  dictation  of 
those  whom  it  does  not  concern  ;  and  the  additional  confidence  of  the 
elevating  and  enlightening  tendency  of  the  New  Dispensation,  you 
need  Iiave  no  misgivings.  Slavery  will  work  out  its  destiny  under  the 
guidance  of  a  kind  and  beneficent'  Providence.  What  that  destination 
may  be  is  among  the  arcana  of  the  future.  But  if  I  were  to  indulge 
a  conjecture,  I  would  suggest  the  possibility,  that  our  slaves  following 
the  tide  of  time  and  events,  may  yet  find  a  home  in  South  America,  where 
climate  and  soil  suit  them  ;  where  color  does  no  affect  caste  in  the  so- 
cial organization,  and  where  they  may  have  a  system  of  government 
and  laws  adapted  to  their  grade  of  civilization,  whatever  it  may  then 
be.  Very  respectfully  and  sincerely. 

Your  obedient  servant.  II.  V.  J. 


RKPLT. 

The  above  communication,  penned  in  so  admirable  a 
spirit,  and  teeming  with  sentiments  of  the  kindest  per- 
sonal regard,  while  at  the  same  time  earnest  and  firm  in 
deprecating  results  which  the  writer  thinks  sure  to  fol- 
low, have  come  home  to  us  with  the  force  of  a  most 
powerful  appeal.  We  should  be  utterly  at  a  loss  to  know- 
how  to  be  ever  on  good  terms  with  ourselves  again,  were 
20* 


226        ArnoEiSMs  on  slavery  and  abolition. 


we  to  be  insensible  to  the  plea  which  is  here  urged  against 
the  agitation  of  the  subject  of  Slavery  in  our  pages.  The 
fact  is  we  feel  it  to  our  heart's  core.  Not  only  frona  the 
writer  of  the  foregoing  letter,  but  from  our  N.  C.  bre- 
thren at  the  South  generally,  have  we  received  so  many 
and  such  signal  tokens  of  warm  fraternal  sympathy  and 
regard,  that  the  idea  of  saying  or  doing  anything  that 
shall  give  them  pain  falls  upon  us  like  a  bar  of  ice.  May 
we  not  ask  of  them  the  justice  to  believe,  that  nothing 
short  of  the  most  imperious  sense  of  duty  could  have 
prompted  the  expression  of  views  that  we  could  not  but 
know  would  be  more  or  less  unacceptable  in  the  quarter 
for  which  they  were  mainly  intended  ?  Indeed,  if  we  were 
to  refer  to  the  feelings  of  the  martyr  going  to  the  stake, 
as  a  not  unfair  index  of  our  own  in  entering  upon  this 
discussion,  we  should  scarcely  exceed  the  soberness  of 
truth.  We  have  never  in  our  lives  been  more  conscious 
of  a  severe  struggle  between  duty  urging  on  and  inclina- 
tion holding  back,  than  on  this  occasion.  It  is  only  by 
reason  of  a  dear-bought  victory  over  the  clamorous  re- 
monstrances of  a  host  of  opposing  considerations  that  we 
have  at  last  brought  ourselves  to  the  point  of  utterance. 
We  foresaw  from  the  first  the  probable,  the  almost  in- 
evitable, issue.  We  were  aware  of  the  "revolt  of  mien," 
of  the  revulsion  of  feeling,  of  the  altered  voice,  of  the 
weakened  sympathy,  of  the  forfeited  confidence,  of  the 
tasked  charity,  which  could  not  fail  to  ensue.  Heaven 
knows  what  an  effort  it  has  cost  us  to  come  to  a  decision 
which  would  necessarily  put  all  these  things  at  stake. 
But  the  effort  has  been  made  ;  the  decision  has  been 
achieved. 

If  now  we  say  that  the  end  was  too  clearly  anticipated 
from  the  beginning,  to  allow  of  i-etrogression  after  hav- 
ing taken  the  first  step  forward,  we  should  be  happy 
could  we  persuade  our  Southern  friends  to  believe  that 
our  persistence  in  the  deprecated  course  is  not  the  effect 
of  mere  waywardness,  or  of  an  undervaluing  of  the  force 
of  their  arguments,  but  of  an  immoveable  conviction  that 
a  spiritual  use  is  to  be  performed,  from  which  we  do  not 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


227 


feel  at  liberty  to  shrink.  The  assurance  is  wrought  in 
the  very  depths  of  our  soul  that  the  best  weal  of  the  Xew 
Church  demands  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  and  that 
too  at  an  early  period  in  her  history,  as  such  a  course 
now  may  preclude  disastrous  agitation  at  a  future  day. 
We  do  not  indeed  assume  that  precisely  the  views  which 
we  may  broach  are  those  that  will  be  eventually  rested 
in  ;  but  the  expression  of  our  sentiments  may  pave  the 
way  for  the  final  establishment  of  the  truth  on  this  head  ; 
and  if  there  be  a  special  responsibility  in  broaching  the 
theme,  that  responsibility  we  venture  to  assume.  «  That 
in  the  accomplishment  of  our  purpose,  some  of  the  ap- 
parently evil  effects  above  predicted  may  incidentally 
follow  we  think  not  unlikely ;  but  even  the  positive  as- 
surance of  this  does  not  strike  us  as  a  sufiicient  reason 
for  desisting,  since  nothing  is  plainer  to  our  perception 
than  that  truth  spoken  in  love  can  never  really  injure 
any  cause  or  interest  which  it  is  designed  to  promote. 
The  mischief  is  done  by  an  angry  and  malign  spirit, 
prompting  unqualified  condemnation,  and  m-ging  reform, 
reckless  of  the  laws  of  divine  order.  Of  such  a  spirit  we 
venture  to  acquit  ourselves  ;  and  so  far  as  we  are  free 
from  this,  so  far  we  not  only  claim  indulgence  in  the 
utterance  of  our  sentiments,  but  have  also  the  utmost 
confidence  that  no  really  bad  results  will  follow.  We 
assume  that  we  are  addressing  a  select  and  limited  pub- 
lic. We  are  not  throw'ing  promiscuously  abroad  incen- 
diary and  irritating  views;  but  offering  calm  suggestions 
to  sober  minds,  to  professed  receivers  of  the  teachings  of 
the  New  Church,  in  which  we  find  an  ample  warrant  for 
the  step  we  have  taken. 

Among  the  principles  of  this  system  of  doctrine  no- 
thing is  more  clearly  enunciated  than  that  e^  ils  must  be 
shumied  as  sins  before  any  good,  that  is  really  good,  can 
be  done.  The  following  propositions  constitute  several 
of  tlie  heads  of  Swedenborg's  little  treatise  entitled,  "  The 
N.  J.  Doctrine  of  Life." — "  That  all  religion  has  relation 
to  life,  and  the  life  of  religion  is  to  do  good — that  no  one 
can  do  good,  which  is  really  good,  from  himself — that  so 
far  as  man  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far  he  does  what  is 


228  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


good,  not  from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord — that  the 
good  things  which  a  man  wills  and  does,  before  he  shuns 
evils  as  sins,  are  not  good — that  the  pious  things  which 
a  man  thinks  and  speaks,  before  he  shuns  evils,  are  not 
pious — that  so  far  as  any  one  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far 
he  loves  truths — that  the  decalogue  teaches  what  evils 
are  sins — that  it  is  not  possible  for  any  one  to  shun  evils 
as  sins,  so  that  he  may  hold  them  inwardly  in  aversion, 
except  by  combats  against  them,"  &c. 

Again,  on  this  subject  he  remarks,  "  Who  cannot 
see  tkat  the  Lord  cannot  flow-in  from  heaven  with 
man,  and  teach  him  and  lead  him  before  his  evils  are 
removed,  for  they  withstand,  repel,  pervert,  and  suflb- 
cate  the  truths  and  goods  of  heaven,  which  urgently 
press,  powerfully  apply,  and  endeavor  to  flow-in  from 
above :  for  evils  are  infernal  and  goods  are  celestial, 
and  all  that  is  infernal  burns  with  hatred  against  all  that 
is  celestial.  Hence  now  it  is  evident,  that  before  the 
Lord  can  flow-in  from  heaven  with  heaven,  and  form 
man  to  the  image  of  heaven,  the  evils  must  necessarily 
be  removed  which  reside  heaped  up  together  in  the  na- 
tural man.  I^ow,  whereas  it  is  the  primary  thing  that 
evils  be  removed  before  man  can  be  taught  and  led  by 
the  Lord,  the  reason  is  manifest  why,  in  eight  precepts 
of  the  decalogue,  the  evil  works  are  recounted  which  are 
not  to  be  done,  but  not  the  good  works  which  are  to  be 
(lone :  good  does  not  exist  together  with  evil,  nor  does  it 
exist  before  evils  are  removed,  the  way  not  being  opened 
from  heaven  into  man  until  this  is  done  ;  for  man  is  as 
a  black  sea,  the  waters  whereof  are  to  be  removed  on 
either  side  before  the  Lord  in  a  cloud  and  in  fire  can 
cause  the^ons  of  Israel  to  pass  through." — A.  K  969. 

These  are  positions  which  will  not  be  doubted  by  ISTew- 
churchmen ;  and  the  only  question  is,  whether  there  be 
an  evil  in  slavery  which  comes  into  the  category  of  evils 
that  are  to  be  shunned  as  sins.  And  on  this  head  we  do 
not  see  how  we  can  be  mistaken  in  regarding  it  in  this  light, 
for  the  confession,  though  not  universal,  is  yet  very  gene- 
ral even  among  slaveholders  themselves,  that  the  institu- 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  229 


tion  is  an  evil  which  it  were  better  to  have  abolished, 
provided  the  attempt  to  do  this  did  not  occasion,  all 
things  considered,  a  still  greater  evil.  We  venture,  then, 
to  take  this  admission  as  an  admission  made  in  earnest, 
and  under  the  promptings  of  charity  presume  to  give 
vent  to  such  sentiments  as  the  subject  in  its  various  rela- 
tions suggests.  They  are  uttered  under  the  strong  impres- 
sion that  the  true  development  of  the  New  Church  life 
may  be  retarded  by  the  non-removal  of  an  evil  prevail- 
ing among  those  who  cordially  receive  the  truths  of  the 
Church,  and  who,  but  for  this  evil,  would  abound  in  the 
noblest  exemplifications  of  the  transforming  power  of 
these  truths.  Even  granting  that  we  may  be  in  fact  mis- 
taken in  this  impression,  yet  we  can  see  no  offence  in 
this  matter  worthy  of  censure  ;  nor  is  it  altogether  char- 
acteristic of  a  consciously  ujn-ight  and  unassailable  moral 
state  to  be  thus  sensitive  and  restive  in  view  of  a  candid 
investigation.  The  confidence  which  belongs  to  a  good 
cause  will  be  little  likely  to  be  disturbed  by  the  interro- 
gation to  which  that  cause  may  be  submitted  by  the 
charitable  and  well  disposed. 

Still  we  are  well  aware  of  the  force  with  which  the 
question  is  put : — Why  broach  the  topic  now,  when  exa- 
cerbated feeling  closes  the  mind  against  all  counsel  or 
monition,  however  well  intended,  and  when  too  the  New 
Church  at  the  South,  in  the  feebleness  of  its  incipiency, 
is  but  poorly  able  to  bear  the  brunt  of  obloquy  which 
the  assertion  of  such  principles,  in  its  name,  is  calculated 
to  draw  upon  it  ?  Shall  we  frankly  say,  in  reply  to  this, 
that  we  embrace  the  present  opportunity  because,  in  all 
probability,  it  will  be  the  only  one  of  which  we  can  avail 
ourselves  for  the  purpose.  As  this  may  strike  our  readers 
as  an  enigmatical  intimation,  we  explain  ourselves  by 
announcing  that  we  see  no  prospect,  from  present  ap- 
pearances, that  we  shall  be  able  to  carry  on  the  Reposi- 
tory after  the  present  year.  The  complaints  of  the  con- 
troversial character  oi"  the  work  are  so  numerous,  and 
the  calls  for  a  change  of  tone  in  this  respect  so  urgent, 
that  we  are  satisfied  that,  without  a  complete  metamor- 


230 


Al'HORISMS  ON  SIAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


phosis  in  this  particular,  we  can  never  satisfy  tlie  is.  C. 
public  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  it  any  object,  pecu- 
niarily, to  continue  the  publication,  especially  if  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  journal  are  to  constitute  our  main  depend- 
ence for  support.  We  have  became  entirely  satisfied 
that  it  is  out  of  our  power  to  conduct  a  periodical  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  the  N.  C,  without  a  very  considerable  in- 
fusion of  the  controversial  element.  In  a  word,  we  think 
that,  under  any  circumstances,  the  same  general  features 
which  have  hitherto  marked  the  N.  C.  Repository  would 
still  adhere  to  it,  for  they  seem  to  be  dictated  by  the  na- 
tural progress  of  the  Church  in  connection  with  the  spirit 
of  the  age.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  this  character  of 
the  journal  is  not  acceptable  to  the  mass  of  receivers  in 
our  country — those  upon  whom  its  support  must  neces- 
sarily depend — and  therefore  we  see  no  alternative  but 
to  retire  from  the  field  in  which  we  have  hitherto  endea- 
vored to  accomplish  some  use.  Add  to  this  that  the  pre- 
sent discussion  itself — as  we  have  foreseen  from  the 
beginning — will  inevitably  have  the  effect,  whether 
deservedly  or  not,  to  thin  the  ranks  of  our  subscribers, 
as  it  is  palpable  that  our  Southern  friends,  with  their 
views  of  expediency  on  this  subject,  cannot,  as  a  body, 
lend  their  countenance  or  patronage  to  a  periodical  which 
takes  the  ground  that  we  are  constrained  to  do ;  and  the 
subduction  of  the  Southern  names  from  our  list  would 
leave  the  remainder,  even  if  controversy  did  not  alienate 
them,  too  "  feeble  a  folk"  to  sustain  the  enterprise. 

It  is  under  these  circumstances  that  we  have  concluded 
to  open  the  discussion  in  behalf  of  which  we  are  now 
offering  our  plea.  We  are  confident  that  through  no 
other  accessible  organ  could  we  utter  the  sentiments 
which  we  hold  on  this  theme,  and  which  yet  we  are 
inwardly  constrained  to  utter.  We  have  decided,  there- 
fore, wiiile  the  opportunity  is  afibrded,  to  improve  it. 
If  what  we  say  is  entitled  to  bear  weight  with  it,  it 
will  do  so.  If  not,  not ;  and  in  either  case  we  shall  be 
content  under  the  consciousness  of  having  meant  well, 
and  the  conviction  of  having  declared  some  truths. 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


231 


From  this  our  readers  will  easily  infer  that  we  are  not 
prepared  to  take  quite  so  sombre  a  view  of  consequences 
as  seems  to  force  itself  upon  the  minds  of  the  writers 
above.  "We  do  not  think  it  "  vain  to  speak  of  motives''' 
as  being  powerless  "  to  regulate  or  control  results  ;''''  nor 
do  we  admit  that  the  present  is  by  any  means  a  state  of 
things  in  which  "  the  argument  of  an  angel  would  be  as 
impotent  as  the  wailings  of  an  infant  against  the  fm"y  of 
a  tornado."'  We  are  forced  to  put  this  to  the  account  of 
a  certain  tendency  to  exaggeration,  incident  to  impulsive 
and  fervid  natures,  especially  when  kindled  by  a  strong- 
sense  of  wrong.  We,  however,  do  not  propose  to  address 
an  audience  composed  of  such  materials.  We  make  our 
appeal  to  I^ewchurchmen,  and  we  do  not  recognize  in 
Newchurchmen  a  liability  to  fall  into  a  state  in  which 
rational  argument,  prompted  by  pure  motives,  shall  so 
utterly  fail  of  courteous  entertainment.  We  can,  indeed, 
make  all  suitable  allowance  for  the  irritation  and  excite- 
ment engendered  by  stirring  political  crises,  but  the  in- 
junction, "  In  patience  possess  ye  your  sculs,"  we  ma}" 
presume  will  not  lose  its  authority  with  those  whose  inner 
ear  we  would  fain  gain  to  our  remarks.  We  cannot,  in 
fact,  well  conceive  a  proper  state  of  mind  in  w  iiich  the 
still  small  voice  of  truth  and  charity  shall  not,  with  a 
true  man  of  the  New  Church,  make  itself  heard  above 
the  din  and  turbulence  of  party  strife,  or  the  clamors  of 
otherwise  excited  passion.  If  our  suggestions  shall  be 
taken  home  by  each  reader  to  himself,  and  their  possible 
or  probable  effects  upon  others  be  lost  sight  of,  we  might 
hope,  with  much  confidence,  that  the  deprecated  result 
would  not  be  at  all  so  disastrous  as  the  vivid  pencil  of 
our  friends  is  inclined  to  paint  it.  The  objections  urged 
on  this  score  would  be  more  apropos  if  we  had  entered 
upon  a  course  or  a  crusade  of  indiscriminate  propagand- 
ism,  which  is  as  far  as  possible  from  our  intention.  We 
have  an  audience  of  our  own,  and  our  drift  is  to  say  to 
each  one,  How  do  you  regard  the  sentiments  which  we 
advance?  AVe  do  not  ask  what  effect  you  think  they 
will  have  on  others.    Our  conference  is  solely  with  you. 


232  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


There  is  another  misapprehension  in  the  above  letter 
which  we  would  here  correct.  The  writer  remarks,  "  At 
the  Js'orth  and  West  and  East  your  argument,  however 
able,  can  do  no  good,  because  not  needed — all,  without 
perhaps  a  solitary  exception,  are  already  in  accord  with 
you  upon  the  abstract  question."  Alas,  would  that  they 
were  !  The  intimation,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  is  far  enough 
from  the  truth,  judging  at  least  from  the  results  of  our 
own  observation.  The  verbal  concession,  indeed,  that 
slavery  is  intrinsically  an  evil,  is  very  easily,  as  it  is  very 
generally,  made — as  it  is  also  in  thousands  of  instances  at 
the  South;  but  we  find,  on  a  little  closer  interrogation, 
that  the  concession  is  of  no  practical  moment,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  also  very  widely  held  in  the  same  quarters  that 
there  is  no  prospect  of  getting  rid  of  it  for  some  genera- 
tions to  come  ;  and  that  our  duty  as  Christians  is  to  sub- 
mit to  it  as  a  mysterious  but  wise  and  beneficent  dispen- 
sation of  the  Divine  Providence,  designed  for  the  ultimate 
good  of  all  parties  concerned,  but  more  especially  of  the 
Airican  race.  So  far  as  our  acquaintance  extends,  this 
is  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  Newchurchmen  in  every 
part  of  our  land.  We  know  not  that  we  have  ever 
conversed  with  half  a  dozen  individuals  of  that  Church 
who  did  not  occupy  this  ground — who  apparently  felt 
the  least  painful  solicitude  in  view  of  the  existence  of  the 
institution — and  who  would  not  cordially  side  with  the 
protesting  purport  of  the  above  letter,  and  wonder  at  the 
temerity  of  the  discussion  which  this  letter  so  kindly  but 
so  pointedly  rebukes.  This  appears  to  be  the  general 
posture  of  the  New  Church  mind  in  this  country;  and  as 
we  regard  it  as  a  species  of  practical  fatalism,  we  cannot 
of  course  but  aim  to  break  it  up,  wherever  our  feeble 
voice  may  penetrate.  On  this  point,  we  are  conscious, 
to  our  regret,  of  standing  very  much  alone — not  indeed 
in  the  belief  that  the  evil  in  question  is  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Divine  Providence,  and  will  be  overruled  to 
the  final  weal  of  the  colored  race,  but  in  regard  to  tTie 
course  of  action  which  the  true  principles  of  charity  dic- 
tate under  the  circumstances.    The  following  passage  in 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  233 


another  letter  we  have  received  on  the  subject  defines,  if 
we  mistake  not,  the  general  position  of  the  New  Church 
on  this  subject :  "  I  do  not  think  that  our  mission  re- 
quired this.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  institutions, 
civil  or  political,  of  this  world.  It  is  to  preach  love  to 
God  and  love  to  our  neighbor,  and  to  avoid  all  cause  of 
ofi'ence.  Hitherto — and  we  of  the  South  felt  proud  that 
it  was  so — the  Church  has  refrained  from  touching  this 
delicate  and  much  vexed  question.  It  has  left  it  to  the 
direction  of  a  wise  and  merciful  Providence,  trusting 
that,  if  evil,  it  would  in  the  course  of  time  yield  to  good." 
This  paragraph  brings  to  view  the  question  of  a  principle 
of  transcendant  importance  in  its  bearings  upon  New 
Church  life.  "We  are  constrained  to  take  ground  direct- 
ly the  opposite  of  that  of  the  writer.  We  believe  the 
New  Church  can  never  be  fully  faithful  to  its  mission 
without  entering  into  direct  collision  with  every  form  of 
evil  that  exists  among  men.  "We  have  no  faith  in  mere 
abstract  and  general  deprecations  or  denunciations  of 
what  is  contrary  to  absolute  truth  and  good.  There  must 
be  a  hand-to-hand  encounter,  a  direct  looking  in  the  face, 
an  emphatic  specification,  a  stern  arraignment  at  the 
bar  of  eternal  right,  of  every  form  of  wrong,  whether  in 
civil,  political,  or  social  spheres.  This  indeed  is  to  be 
done  in  the  spirit  of  genuine  charity,  but  it  is  to  be  done. 
Pulpit  and  press  we  hold  to  be  recreant  to  their  function, 
if  they  content  themselves  with  merely  vague  moral  in- 
junctions, and  refuse  to  follow  men  into  the  minutest 
ramifications  of  their  vvordly  callings  and  relations, 
whether  public  or  private,  and  insisting  upon  the  rigid 
ultimation  in  life  of  every  principle  of  religion  which 
they  hold,  or  ought  to  hold,  in  theory.  Politicians  may 
talk  of  the  wisdom  of  "  a  masterly  inactivity,"  but  it 
is  sadly  out  of  place  in  the  men  of  the  Lord's  church.  It 
is,  in  our  view,  a  very  great  fallacy  to  expect  that  needed 
reforms  will  take  care  of  and  accomplish  themselves,  and 
that  the  simple  preaching  of  love  to  the  Lord,  and  love 
to  the  neighbor,  will  renovate  society,  without  the  posi- 
tive putting  the  finger  upon  the  diseased  parts  of  the 
21 


234  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


body  politic,  and  actually  grappling  with  the  crooked 
things  that  are  to  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places 
that  are  to  be  made  smooth. 

These  are  the  views  which  we  are  compelled  to  enter- 
tain, on  the  general  subject  of  which  the  present  is  a  par- 
ticular department.  And  so  believing,  we  come  directly 
up  abreast  of  the  theme,  and  in  all  honesty  and  earnest- 
ness impart  our  convictions  to  our  brethren.  We  may 
fail  to  secure  a  tolerant  audience,  but  if  so,  we  shall  be 
careful  so  to  order  our  speech  as  not  to  give  any  just 
occasion  to  censure,  crimination,  or  rejection  on  the  part 
of  those  addressed.  If,  then,  without  occasion,  they  take 
exceptions  to  our  plea,  we  shall  still  feel  mentally  at  ease, 
and  under  no  necessity,  like  the  restless  Roman,  to  bor- 
row a  neighbor's  pillow,  because  we  cannot  extract  re- 
pose from  our  own. 

One  of  our  correspondents  intimates  that  we  shall  pro- 
bably be  unable  to  advance  anything  new  on  the  subject. 
Of  this,  we  can  give,  indeed,  no  assurance  ;  it  is  truth 
rather  than  novelty  that  we  aim  at ;  but  we  cherish  still 
a  strong  persuasion  that  at  least  our  mode  of  conducting 
the  argument  will  be  new.  The  sequel  will  disclose  that 
without  in  the  least  compromising  the  great  essential 
principle  for  which  we  contend,  we  at  the  same  time 
make  discriminations,  qualifications,  reservations,  which 
have  been  hitherto  unknown  in  the  controversy,  and 
which  will  strike  our  Southern  readers  with  the  more 
force,  inasmuch  as  they  have  never  supposed  it  possible 
that  the  demands  of  a  stringent  abolitionism  could  possi- 
bly consist  with  moderation  of  tone,  or  such  concessions 
to  the  force  of  circumstances  as  they  will  find  in  our 
ti'eatment  of  the  theme.  We  can  easily  conceive,  how- 
ever, that  with  multitudes  these  traits  shall  not  redeem 
the  discussion  from  obloquy ;  but  we  can  hardly  antici- 
pate this  reception  with  those  whom  we  purpose  to  reach. 
Should  it  be  so,  we  shall  regret  it  much  for  their  sakes, 
but  none  for  our  own. 

A  word  as  to  the  charge  of  unwarranted  interference. 
"  The  position  of  good  sense  is  just  this :  The  Lord  will 


APHORISMS  OX  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  235 


do  all  things  right ;  lie  will  work  out  the  ends  designed 
by  slavery.  It  concerns  us — uot  the  North.  If  we  fail 
in  duty  we  are  responsible."  "  Southern  members  of 
the  New  Church  have  reflected  on  this  subject  for  them- 
selves— they  have  formed  their  own  opinions — they  en- 
tertain these  opinions  conscientiously — they  are  able  to 
defend  them  by  sound  arguments.  The  question  is  a 
Southern  and  not  a  Xorthern  question.  You  have  no 
slaves  at  the  North.  The  responsibility 'rests  with  the 
slaveholders  of  the  South,  and  any  attempt  to  agitate  this 
matter  by  our  ISTorthern  brethren,  seems  to  us  an  unjus- 
tifiable interference  with  our  own  concerns."  It  would 
be  somewhat  hazardous,  we  think,  to  this  position,  to 
submit  it  to  a  very  rigid  examination.  There  can  be  no 
"unjustifiable  interference"  in  this  matter,  unless  it  in- 
volves, in  some  way,  an  infraction  of  the  laws  of  charity. 
The  simple  assumption  of  pointing  out  to  another  an  ap- 
prehended evil,  of  which,  from  the  power  of  circum- 
stances, he  may  not  be  duly  aware,  is  no  breach  of 
charity,  provided  it  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  meekness,  and 
with  the  truest  regard  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  the 
party  concerned.  It  is  never  allowable,"  says  Sweden- 
borg,  "  for  one  man  to  judge  of  another  as  to  the  quality 
of  his  spiritual  life,  for  the  Lord  alone  knows  this  ;  yet  it 
is  allowable  for  every  one  to  judge  of  another's  quality 
as  to  moral  and  civil  life,  for  this  is  of  concern  to  society.'''' 
The  operation  of  this  principle  is  independent  of  geogra- 
phical limits.  The  laws  of  Christian  brotherhood  ignore 
all  local  relations,  as  spiritual  things  lie  without  the  con- 
ditions of  space.  AVherever  there  is  occasio)i  for  the 
exercise  of  Christian  ofiices  to  a  brother  or  a  neighbor, 
there  is  the  warrant  for  it,  and  there  is  a  violence  done 
to  the  spirit  of  charity  to  visit  the  good  act  with  censure. 
The  fact  is,  no  one  who  is  in  earnest  in  the  work  of  re- 
generation desires  to  le  let  alone  of  those  who  can  in  any 
way  contribute  to  his  spiritual  advancement,  whether  by 
pointing  out  his  evils,  or  helping  him  to  put  them  away. 
All  that  he  requires  is,  that  the  ofiice  rendered  shall  be 
one  of  sincerity  and  kindness,  as  well  as  of  fidelity — the 


236  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVEKY  AND  ABOLITION. 


product  of  unfeigned  neighborly  love.  True,  a  man  is 
liable  to  be  mistaken  in  his  judgment  of  what  is  really 
evil  on  the  part  of  the  neighbor,  and  he  is  bound  to  guard, 
with  the  utmost  care,  against  rashness  of  decision  in  pro- 
nouncing upon  the  moral,  civil,  or  social  life  of  the  neigh- 
bor ;  but  when  he  has  pondered  it  with  all  the  delibera- 
tion and  candor  in  his  power,  and  yet  is  unable  to  avoid 
the  conclusion  that  a  positive  evil  exists,  he  is  most  un- 
questionably at  liberty  to  state  his  impression  fairly  and 
emphatically,  and  provided  the  statement  is  made  with- 
out wrath  or  bitterness,  without  personal  regards,  but 
purely  from  the  love  of  goodness  and  truth,  it  is  a  posi- 
tive offence  against  charity  to  resent  such  a  course  as  the 
officious  intermeddling  of  "  a  busy-body  in  other  men's 
matters."  The  very  prompting  to  put  this  sinister  aspect 
upon  it  is  itself  an  evil,  whatever  mvij  be  the  case  in  the 
original  instance,  and  perhaps  the  inference  is  not  wholly 
unfair  that  the  evil  of  condemnation  in  this  case  is  a 
proof  of  the  evil  of  life  in  question  ;  for  otherwise  why 
should  the  attempted  conscientious  discharge  of  a  duty 
of  charity  provoke  an  ill  construction  and  a  denial  of  all 
right  of  judgment  in  the  premises  ?  May  there  not  be 
a  Christian  duty  of  charity  founded  upon  the  precept, 
"  Thou  shalt  in  any  wise  rebuke  thy  neighbor ;  and  not 
suflter  sin  upon  him,"  where  the  true  force  of  the  original 
term  is  to  convince  or  convict  of  wrongs  by  reasoning  or 
argument ;  or,  as  the  Greek  has  it,  "  Thou  shalt  con- 
vincingly or  demonstratively  reprove  thy  neighbor." 
The  general  import  of  the  j)recept  is,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
suffer  thy  neighbor  to  go  on  in  sin  by  neglecting  to  in- 
form him  of  it ;  thou  shalt  not  leave  him  under  the  evil 
of  sin  unreproved."  We  here  repeat  our  admission,  that 
a  man  designing  to  act  on  this  injunction  may  mistake 
in  his  judgment  of  the  facts  in  the  case ;  but  we  insist 
that  no  territorial  or  political  considerations  can  justly 
bring  this  conduct  under  the  charge  of  "  unjustifiable 
interference."  It  is  a  charge  that  we  are  surprised  to  see 
brought  by  a  Newchurchman,  as  it  cannot  at  all  stand 
the  test  of  even  a  slight  cross-questioning. 


APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION.  237 


We  might  here  advert  to  another  consideration,  in 
which  we  find  an  ample  warrant  for  the  so-called  inter- 
meddling of  which  our  correspondent  complains.  The 
slavery  question  does  concern  the  iSTorth  as  well  as  the 
South,  inasmuch  as  it  is  recognized  in  the  Constitution  of 
our  common  country  ;  and  so  far  as  the  enacted  laws  of  the 
land  can  avail  to  nationalize  the  system,  they  do  it,  thus 
creating  in  some  sense  a  general  participation  on  the 
part  of  every  state  and  every  citizen  in  the  Union,  in 
whatever  evil  may  adhere  to  it.  May  we  not,  in  these 
circumstances,  discuss  the  moral  character  of  a  system, 
which  in  our  eyes  is  fraught  with  multitudinous  evils,  by 
which  we  deem  ourselves  opj^ressed,  and  which  we  would 
invoke  the  co-operation  of  our  Southern  brethren  to  re- 
move, if  possible,  from  off  the  bosom  of  our  beloved 
country  ?  But  upon  this  head  we  will  not  now  enlarge, 
as  it  trenches  upon  the  political  aspects  of  the  question, 
which  we  design  to  avoid.  Our  brethren,  however,  can 
perhaps  conceive  how  exceeding  strange  must  appear  to 
us  the  virtual  intimation  that  we  have  no  right  to  discuss 
or  agitate  the  subject.  We  fear  that  Northern  men 
generally  will  be  very  slow  to  learn  the  indicated  lesson 
of  submission  on  this  score.  Certainly  a  mind  thorough- 
ly imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  New  Church  will  find  in 
itself  a  signal  incapacity  to  bow  in  silence  to  such  a 
behest. 

But  we  have  already  said  more  than  we  intended  at 
the  outset  of  our  reply.  What  Shakspeare  terms  "  the 
intellect  of  the  letter"  is  doubtless  too  plain  to  be  misun- 
derstood. We  feel  in  our  heart  of  hearts  the  piercing  of 
the  pang  which  attends  the  consciousness  of  the  alienated 
respect,  esteem,  and  confidence  of  our  Southern  brethren. 
We  do  not  forego  them  because  we  think  lightly  of  them. 
Nor  in  fact  do  we  feel  that  in  the  sight  of  Heaven  we 
have  given  or  shall  give  any  sufficient  reason  for  the 
estrangement.  We  have  the  inward  assurance  that  we 
are  at  this  moment  as  genuinely  worthy  their  kind  and 
affectionate  sentiments  as  we  ever  were,  since  a  common 
faith  brought  us  into  fraternal  relations.  We  have  done 
21* 


238  APHORISMS  ON  SLAVERY  AND  ABOLITION. 


them  no  wrong ;  we  have  done  the  truth  no  wrong ;  we 
have  done  the  spirit  of  charity  no  wrong.  But  we  can- 
not be  ignorant  that  the  peculiar  sensitiveness  of  the 
Southern  temperament  cannot  well  brook  the  inquest 
which  we  propose  to  institute  on  the  moral  character  of 
slavery.  Even  the  begun  process  of  regeneration  does 
not  at  once  lift  them  so  far  above  the  natural _  prejudices 
by  which  they  are  surrounded  that  they  can  look  with 
tolerance  upon  the  free  questioning  of  a  system  which  is 
inwrought  into  the  very  frame-work  of  their  society,  and 
the  touching  of  which  is  touching  the  apple  of  their  eye. 
For  ourselves,  under  the  consciousness  of  meaning  no  ill, 
and  of  simply  discharging  a  Christian  duty,  we  should  be 


graces  ;  but  if  fidelity  to  our  sacred  convictions  enforce 
the  sacrifice,  it  must  be  made.  Between  the  claims  of 
truth  and  the  demands  of  friendship  we  cannot  waver. 
Though  it  be  like  cutting  ofi:'  a  right  hand,  or  plucking 
out  a  right  eye,  we  must  e'en  submit  to  the  sundering 
of  soul  which  adherence  to  apprehended  right  draws 
after  it.  We  shall  look  upon  it  as  one  of  the  severe  but 
inevitable  trials  which  our  own  regeneration  involves — 
grieved,  indeed,  that  the  necessity  of  it  should  exist,  but 
happy  in  the  reflection  that  no  moral  obliquity  on  our 
part,  and  no  real  ground  of  offence,  has  been  its  procur- 
ing cause. 


most 


possession  of  their  good 


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2.  — The  Great  Harmonia.  Yol.  III.  The  Seer.  By  Andrew  J ack- 
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8.  — Light  from  the  Spirit  World  ;  comprising  a  series  of  Articles  on 
the  condition  of  Spirits,  and  Development  of  Mind  in  the  rudimental 
and  second  Spheres.  Being  written  wholly  by  the  control  of  Spirits, 
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Mass.  1852. 

13.  — Spiritual  Philosopher  (subsequently  the  Spirit  World],  devoted 
to  the  Exposition  of  Nature,  Physical,  Spiritual,  and  Divine,  and  to 
communications  from  the  Spirit  World.  A  weekly  paper,  edited  by 
La  Roy  Sunderland.    Boston.  1850-1.  (Discontinued.) 

14.  — The  Shekinah  ;  a  Quarterly  Review,  devoted  to  the  Emancipation 
of  Mind  ;  the  Elucidation  of  Vital,  Mental,  and  Spiritual  Pheno- 
mena, and  the  Progress  of  Man.  Conducted  hj  S.  B.  Brittan. 
Nos.  1,  2,  3.    Bridgeport.  Conn.  1852. 

15.  — The  Spirit  Messenger;  a  Semi-monthly  Magazine,  devoted  to 
Spiritual  Science,  the  Elucidation  of  Truth,  and  the  Progress  of 
Mind.  Edited  by  the  Spirits  of  the  Sixth  Circle  ;  R.  P.  Ambler, 
Medium.    Springfield,  Mass.,  and  New  York.  1851-2. 

16.  — Spiritual  Telegraph  ;  devoted  to  the  Illustration  of  Spiritual  In- 
tercourse. Published  weekly  by  Charles  Partridge.  New  York. 
1852. 

17.  — The  Crisis ;  devoted  to  building  up  the  Lord's  Church  in  true 
Life,  Doctrine,  and  Order.  A  semi-monthly  paper,  edited  by  Rev. 
Henry  Weller.    Laporte,  Ind.  1852. 

18.  — Disclosures  from  the  Interior,  and  Superior  Care  for  Mortals.  A 
semi  monthly  paper,  dictated  by  Apostles,  Prophets,  and  other 
Spirits.    Auburn,  N.  Y.  1851. 

19.  — Spiritual  and  Moral  Instructor.  Semi-monthly.  Auburn,  N.  Y. 
1851.  (Discontinued.) 

20.  — History  of  the  Origin  of  All  Things,  including  the  History  of 
Man,  from  his  Creation  to  his  Finality,  but  not  to  his  End.  Writ- 
ten by  God's  holy  Spirits,  through  an  earthly  Medium,  L  M.  Ar- 
nold, of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Printed  at  his  expense,  published  by 
direction  of  the  Spirits,  and,  in  God's  will,  submitted  to  a  holy  and 
searching  Criticism  from  every  earnest  Seeker  after  Truth.  For 
sale  by  all  Booltsellers  who  desire  to  forward  the  Work  of  God's  Re- 
demption of  man  from  Ignorance,  Fear,  and  torturing  Doub^. 
Amen.    In  the  year  of  God's  grace,  1852. 


PSEUDO- SPIRITUALISM. 


241 


21.  — Observations  on  the  Theological  Mystery ;  the  Harmonial  Philo- 
sophy, and  Spirit  Rappings  ;  with  an  Appendix  concerning  Free- 
Masonry.  By  the  Author  of  "  Millennial  Institutions  and  the  Seventh 
Seal."    Hartford,  Conn.  1851. 

22.  — Open  Intercourse  with  the  Spiritual  World  ;  its  Dangers,  and  the 
Cautions  which  they  naturally  suggest.  By  B.  F.  Barrett.  Boston. 
1845. 

23.  — A  History  of  the  recent  Developments  in  Spiritual  Manifestations 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  ;  by  a  Member  of  the  first  Circle,  insti- 
tuted in  the  month  of  October,  1850.  Philadelphia  :  G.  S.  Harris. 
1851. 

24.  — Spiritual  Instructions,  received  at  one  of  the  Circles  formed  in 
Philadelphia  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  Philosophy  of 
Spiritual  Intercourse.  Published  for  the  benefit  of  the  Harmonial 
Benevolent  Association.    Philadelphia  :  A.  Comfort.  1852. 

25.  — Spiritual  Experience  of  Mrs.  Loriu  P.  Piatt,  of  Newtown,  Conn., 
with  Spiritual  Impressions  annexed.  Written  while  subjected  to  the 
Influence  of  a  Circle  of  Spirits,  with  directions  to  publish  to  the 
World.    New  Haven  :  H.  B.  Benham.  1852. 

26.  — IMental  Alchemy :  A  Treatise  on  the  Mind,  Nervous  System, 
Psychology,  Magnetism,  Mesmerism,  and  Diseases.  In  twelve  chap- 
ters. By  B.  Brown  Williams,  M.  D.  New  Tork:  Fowlers  & 
Wells.  1852. 

27.  — The  Approaching  Crisis  ;  being  a  review  of  Dr.  Bushnell's  recent 
Lectures  on  Supernaturalism.  By  Andrew  Jackson  Davis.  New 
York  :  Redfield,  and  others.  1852. 

28.  — An  Exposition  of  the  Views  respecting  the  principal  Facts, 
Causes,  and  Peculiarities  involved  in  Spirit  Manifestations  ;  together 
with  interesting  Phenomena,  Statements,  and  Communications.  By 
Adin  Ballou.    Boston  :  B.  Marsh.  1852. 

29.  — Philosophy  of  Mysterious  Agents,  Human  and  Mundane  ;  or  the 
Dynamic  Laws  and  Relations  of  Man  ;  embracing  the  Natural  Phi- 
losophy of  Phenomena,  styled  "  Spiritual  Manifestations."  By  E.  C. 
Rogers.  In  Five  Numbers.  No.  I.  Boston :  Redding  &  Co. 
1852. 

It  will  surprise  us  if  a  large  portion  of  our  readers  is 
not  surprised  at  the  above  array  of  works  recently  accu- 
mulated in  the  department  of  Spiritualism  so  called. 
They  cannot  well  but  wonder  that  a  new  literature,  if 
not  a  new  science,  has  sprung  into  being  with  those 
singular  physical  developments  that,  within  a  few  years, 
have  so  startled  the  repose  of  a  sensuous  scepticism,  by 
bringing  the  world  of  spirits  into  close  proximity  with 


242 


PSEUDO-SPIRITTTALISM. 


the  world  of  matter.  It  is  mainly  with  the  view  of  mak- 
ing our  readers  acquainted  with  the  fact  of  these  numer- 
ous issues  of  the  press,  bearing  upon  the  so-termed  spirit- 
ual manifestations,  that  we  have  cited  the  above  long 
roll  of  titles.  "We  have  no  design  of  a  formal  review,  or 
a  specific  account  of  the  contents  of  any  of  them.  They 
are  of  various  value,  from  zero  upwards  and  downwards. 
Admitting  the  authenticity  of  the  narratives,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  conceive  anything  more  intrinsically  trifling 
and  insipid  than  the  communications  professedly  derived 
from  many  of  these  tenants  of  the  higher  spheres.  If 
such  a  thing  as  "  spiritual  twaddle"  could  be  predicated 
or  imagined  of  the  spiritual  world,  we  should  have  no 
farther  to  seek  for  the  appropriate  term  by  which  to 
characterize  a  large  portion  of  these  ghostly  utterances. 
Of  others  of  them  we  should  be  bound  in  justice  to  give 
a  somewhat  more  favorable  character.  But  of  none  of 
them  can  we  say  that  they  are  of  any  special  importance 
to  any ;  while  to  the  man  of  the  New  Church,  they  are, 
the  very  best  of  them,  mere  lisping,  babbling,  and  badin- 
age. That  oracles  of  more  moment  are  sometimes  ut- 
tered in  private  circles  we  are  inclined  to  believe  ;  but 
taking  the  published  documents  as  a  specimen,  we  can 
say  of  them  little  else  than  that  "  it  needed  no  ghost  to 
tell  us  that." 

Tlie  subject,  however,  with  all  its  abatements,  is  one 
of  curious  interest,  and  worthy  the  reflections  and  re- 
marks which  we  purpose  to  bestow  upon  it.  It  is  one 
which  is  pressing  itself  upon  the  attention  of  the  public 
with  great  urgency  at  the  present  time,  and  from  its  bor- 
dering so  closely  u^^on  the  domain  of  the  IsTew  Church, 
comes  very  legitimately  within  its  survey.  We  are 
aware  that  there  is  in  many  quarters  a  strong  impression 
that  the  man  of  the  New  Church  is  to  keep  himself  en- 
tirely aloof  from  all  contact  with  these  phenomena;  that 
he  cannot  approach  them  even  for  the  purpose  of  inves- 
tigation, without  contracting  a  soil  upon  the  purity  of 
his  spirit,  or  giving  countenance  to  magical  and  diaboli- 
cal proceedings ;  and  that,  therefore,  our  true  motto  is, 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


243 


"Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not."  "  O  my  soul,  come 
not  thou  into  their  secret;  unto  their  assembly,  mine 
honor,  be  not  thou  united."  For  ourselves,  however,  we 
are  but  little  troubled  with  scruples  on  this  head.  We 
recognize  an  astounding  marvel  in  these  spiritual  mani- 
festations, amply  deserving  the  study  of  every  enlight- 
ened mind.  IS^or  do  we  know  anything  in  the  dritt  of 
the  New  Church  teachings  which  would  forbid  the  exa- 
mination of  natural  or  supernatural  phenomena,  because 
we  might  thereby  stumble  a  weak  brother  or  sister.  It 
is  only  by  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
manifestations  in  all  their  phases  that  we  shall  be  best 
enabled  to  detect  and  expose  their  falsities  and  evils. 
To  one  who  has  paid  much  attention  to  the  subject,  no- 
thing is  more  obvious  than  that  Swedenborg  figures 
largely  in  the  alleged  communications  from  the  world  of 
spirits.  He  is  often  referred  to  as  a  highly  advanced 
spirit,  sojourning  in  some  of  the  supernal  spheres,  and  a 
great  master  in  all  the  mysteries  of  spirit-lore,  but  still 
so  presented  to  view,  as  greatly  to  mislead  those  who 
have  been  hitherto  strangers  to  his  true  character  and 
his  real  mission.  The  mirror  by  which  he  is  reflected  in 
these  revelations  is  one  of  such  a  waving  and  rugged 
surface  that  the  image  is  awfully  distorted.  So  far  then 
as  it  is  proper  to  correct  erroneous  impressions  on  this 
score,  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of  the  New  Church,  so  far 
we  think  it  incumbent  on  the  advocate  of  our  truths  to 
acquaint  himself  with  the  phases  of  this  singular  demon- 
stration. In  like  manner,  if  anything  of  a  confirmatory 
character  is  to  be  drawn  from  tliis  source,  we  know  of 
thing  to  prevent  our  drawing  it.  It  is  from  motives  of 
this  nature  that  we  have  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  subject,  not  as  a  pupil  sitting  at  the  feet  of  rapping 
Gamaliels,  but  as  a  judge  deciding  upon  the  evidence 
and  bearing  of  a  peculiar  order  of  physical  facts.  Our 
present  object  is  to  state  in  brief  some  of  the  results  of 
our  inquisition ;  and 

1.  We  have  become  satisfied  of  the  reality  of  the 
phenomena  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  they  are  not  the  product 


2U 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


of  fraud,  collusion,  legerdemain,  or  human  contrivance 
of  any  kind.  We  are  convinced  that  they  are  of  a  veri- 
tably preternatural  origin.  No  theory  of  slight-of-hand 
or  slight-of-foot  will  account  for  all  the  facts  which  are 
daily  and  hourly  occurring  in  nearly  every  part  of  the 
country.  To  say  nothing  of  the  rigid  scrutiny  to  which 
the  whole  matter  has  been  subjected  in  the  presence  of 
the  most  intelligent  and  competent  committees ;  nothing 
of  the  vast  multiplication  of  mediums  over  the  land,  of 
many  of  whom  the  suspicion  of  trickery  could  not  for 
a  moment  be  entertained ;  what  more  incredible  than 
that  little  children,  in  some  cases,  of  not  more  than  two 
or  three  years  of  age,  should  become  parties  to  a  stupen- 
dous scheme  of  deception,  extended  and  ramified  in  a 
thousand  directions,  from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  the 
other  ?  What,  again,  shall  be  thought  of  the  fact  of 
which  we  are  personally  cognizant,  that  communications 
have  been  made  in  the  Hebrew,  Arabic,  Sanscrit,  and 
other  languages ;  and  that,  too,  under  circumstances 
which  absolutely  forbid  the  supposition  of  any  other  than 
supernatural  agency  ?  We  regard  it,  in  fact,  as  entirely 
impossible  to  evade  the  proof  that  there  are  certain  or- 
ganizations or  temperaments  which  enable  those  that 
possess  them  to  become  mediums  of  intelligent  inter- 
course between  the  natural  and  spiritual  planes  of  exist- 
ence, and  that  such  intercourse  is  daily  being  had  in 
hundreds  of  circles  formed  for  the  purpose  among  all 
classes  of  the  community. 

2.  The  fact  of  these  manifestations  is  in  itself  a  very 
wonderful  fact.  AYe  speak  more  especially  of  the  table- 
knocking  or  table-tipping  phenomena.  Those  attending 
the  writing  mediums  are  less  impressive,  as  it  is  easier 
to  refer  them,  in  part  at  least,  to  a  merely  natural  origin. 
One  cannot  be  quite  sure  that  the  mind  of  the  medium 
does  not  govern  the  res^^onses.  But  to  sit  with  a  com- 
pany around  a  table,  and  to  have  an  undoubting  assur- 
ance that  there  is  an  invisible  power  producing  the  mys- 
terious sounds  or  motions,  and  to  have  the  clearest  evi- 
dence also  of  intelligence  as  wel.  :i3  power — to  put  inter- 


pseudo-spiritualism:. 


245 


rogations,  and  have  them  distinctly  and  pertinently 
answered  by  a  presence  veiled  from  mortal  view — to 
have  the  signal  call  for  the  alphabet  given,  and  sentence 
after  sentence  slowly  spelt  out,  indicating  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  the  conversation  going  on  in  the  circle,  and  in- 
terposing pertinent  remarks,  counsels,  cautions,  denials, 
qualilications,  confirmations,  informations,  as  the  case 
may  require,  and  yet  the  senses  taking  no  cognizance  of 
any  persons  speaking  besides  those  who  you  are  sure  do 
not  speak — all  this,  it  must  be  confessed,  is  marvellous 
exceedingly  when  compared  with  the  hitherto  established 
course  of  human  experience.  We  know,  indeed,  that 
this  mode  of  manifestation  by  the  rapping,  or  rocking,  or 
removal  of  tables,  not  only  stumbles  faith,  but  provokes 
ridicule,  with  the  mass  of  worldly  men,  as  something 
utterly  beneath  the  dignity  of  the  dwellers  of  the  spiritual 
spheres.  Even  those  who  ordinarily  evince  but  precious 
little  solicitude  as  to  the  estimate  which  may  be  formed 
of  spirits,  of  their  occupation,  enjoyments,  or  ruling 
springs  of  action,  become  exceedingly  jealous  of  their 
good  repute  and  worthy  proceedings  when  such  a  mode 
of  physical  agency  is  attributed  to  them.  They  seem  to 
think  it  as  much  beneath  their  dignity  to  move  tables,  as 
it  was  deemed  unbecoming  to  the  chosen  twelve  in  the 
primitive  Christian  church  to  "  serve  tables,"  But  it  is 
certainly  a  very  appropriate  inquiry  whether,  supposing 
that  a  physical  demonstration  of  any  kind  were  to  be 
made,  what  more  convenient  or  satisfactory  method 
could  be  adopted  for  the  purpose.  If  such  demonstra- 
tions be  made  in  a  house,  and  not  out  of  doors,  it  would 
seem  that  some  articles  of  furniture  would  be  brought 
into  requisition,  and  we  think  it  would  be  difficult  to 
suggest  anything  more  suitable  for  the  nonce  than 
tables.  The  great  fact  to  be  established  in  the  matter  is 
the  fiict  that  spirits  do  really  communicate  with  men  on 
earth.  The  intrinsic  nature  of  the  oracles  uttered  is 
something  of  less  moment.  The}'  may  be  true  or  false, 
but  the  great  point  is  whether  they  are  at  all.  There  is 
no  species  of  information  to  be  derived  from  the  supernal 


246 


I'SEUDO-SriRITUALlSM. 


abodes  of  so  much  iinportance  to  the  world  as  the  bare 
fact  that  spirits  do  and  can  couimunicate ;  and  tliis  tact 
could  not  well  be  established  by  any  other  than  evidence 
addressed  to  the  outward  senses,  especially  with  a  world 
immersed  in  sensuous  thought.  The  chosen  mode,  there- 
fore, is  probably  as  appropriate  as  any  that  could  be 
adopted,  considering  the  prevalent  states  of  those  for 
whom  they  are  providentially  designed. 

So  far  as  the  simple  modus  operandi  of  the  agency  is 
concerned  in  producing  the  mysterious  sounds,  and  act- 
ing upon  material  substances,  we  are  forced  to  admit  that 
it  is  JifHcult  to  find  anything  in  the  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg  which  afibrds  an  adequate  solution  of  the  problem. 
It  appears  to  be  a  form  of  spiritual  agency  Avith  which 
lie  was  not  made  acquainted,  and  which  may  possibly  be 
at  this  day  as  great  a  novelty  in  the  world  of  spirits  as 
in  our  own.  But,  however  this  may  be,  it  is  certain,  we 
think,  that  in  the  other  department  of  the  manifesta- 
tions, the  intelligence  that  receives  and  responds  to  the 
various  interrogatories  proposed,  the  New  Church  does 
shed  a  flood  of  light  upon  tlie  subject.  It  acquaints  us 
with  the  fact  that  the  world  unseen  is  peopled  with  my- 
riads of  spirits,  who,  being  in  fallacies  and  falsities  them- 
selves, cannot  for  this  reason  be  reliable  mediums  of 
truth  to  others.  Not  that  every  thing  which  emanates 
from  them  is  necessarily  evil  and  false,  for  there  is  evi- 
dently a  mixture  of  the  good  and  the  true  in  their  com- 
munications ;  but  what  we  would  say  is,  that  their  reports 
and  responses  cannot  be  relied  upon,  just  as  we  would 
say  of  a  mendacious  man,  in  this  world,  that  though  he 
might  sometimes  tell  the  truth,  yet  still  he  was  not  a  re- 
liable man.  So  of  these  "  mpping  spirits;'-  though  some- 
times true,  they  very  frequently  give  information  that  is 
utterly  delusive  and  false,  and  he  who  confides  in  them 
is  sadly  in  danger  of  being  grievously  misled. 

Now  the  Newchurchman  by  being  forewarned  is  fore- 
armed on  this  head.  He  has  been  instructed  in  the  fact, 
not  only  that  we  are  every  moment  surrounded  by  and 
embosomed  in  the  midst  of  countless  thousands  of  intel- 


l>SKUDO-SPIRrrUALlSM. 


247 


ligent  beings,  but  lluit  these  beings  having  all  passed 
troin  the  earth  into  the  spiritual  sphere,  are  there  dis- 
tinguished by  the  dominant  character  which  they  bore 
in  the  body,  and  that  consequently  in  proportion  to  the 
degree  of  ialsit}'  and  evil  that  had  obtained  ascendency 
during  their  earthly  sojourn  is  the  prevalence  of  the 
same  principles  in  the  sphere  to  which  they  were  now 
transferred.  Such  a  man,  therefore,  will  be  on  his  guard 
against  giving  heed  to  these  alleged  oracles  from  the 
other  world.  "  In  vain  is  the  net  spread  in  sight  of  any 
bird."  Although  he  is  willing  to  admit  the  fact  of  the 
opening  of  some  kind  of  intercourse  at  the  ])resent  day 
between  the  outer  and  the  inner  spheres,  yet  he  will  not 
commit  himself  to  the  information  thence  derived,  be- 
cause he  is  taught  to  believe  that  falsity  is  the  rule  and 
truth  the  exception  in  all  such  communications.  View- 
ed in  the  light  of  the  Isew  Church,  these  so  called 
"manifestations"  assume  a  character  very  different  from 
that  in  which  they  would  be  apt  to  be  regarded  by 
minds  less  instructed  in  the  laws  and  workings  of  the 
spiritual  world.  The  intelligent  man  of  the  New  Dis- 
pensation, while  he  concedes  the  spiritual  origin  of  these 
revelations — spiritual,  we  mean,  as  contradistinguished 
from  physical — cannot  yet  but  tremble  at  the  results 
which  may  flow  from  them.  The  danger  in  his  estimate, 
arises  from  the  likelihood  of  their  being  made  an  oracle 
for  the  information  of  mankind  on  the  great  truths  per- 
taining to  the  other  world,  and  a  guide  to  duty  and  ac- 
tion in  this.  Tlie  thing  is  so  astounding — it  is  a  phenome- 
non so  far  superior,  at  first  blush,  to  the  tame  revelation 
recorded  in  a  book — it  carries  witii  it  an  air  so  imposing 
and  authentic,  that  we  cannot  wonder  that,  with  the 
worldly  and  the  sensual,  it  should  have  a  tendency  to 
supersede  all  other  modes  of  revelation,  and  to  throw  the 
Divine  Word,  with  all  its  sacred  dicta  and  hallowed  as- 
sociations, into  the  background.  If  such  a  one  obtains 
a  response  from  a  spirit  relative  to  any  important  point 
proposed,  what  more  natural  than  that  he  should  rest  in 
it  as  conclusive,  notwithstanding  it  should,  perchance,  go 


248 


PSE  tJDO-  SPIRITUA  LISM. 


directly  counter  to  Holy  Writ.  Will  he  not  be  prone  to 
say,  "I  have  a  higher  authority  than  that  of  any  written 
record.  I  have  a  voice  direct  from  the  spirit-world  itself. 
Is  not  this  the  head-qnarters  of  truth  ?  Do  I  need  any 
other  Urim  and  Thummim  than  this  ?  The  Bible  and 
Swedenborg  may  do  for  those  who  are  aware  of  no 
brighter  light ;  but  they  belong  to  another  and  a  by- 
gone or  by-going  Dispensation.  A  new  era  is  being 
ushered  in.  A  '  purer  ray  serene'  is  beaming  from  the 
inner  heavenly  sanctuary  upon  the  outer  earthly  court, 
and  I,  for  one,  am  prepared  to  rejoice  in  its  coming — 
the  coming  of  a  day  which  shall  dispel  the  brooding 
shadows  of  the  long  night  that  has  preceded." 

This  is  the  danger  which  we  apprehend — and  it  is  one 
which  calls  for  wise  words  of  counsel  from  all  those  who 
have  been  taught  in  some  good  measure  to  discriminate 
between  the  spirit  of  truth  and  the  spirit  of  error — the 
two  spirits  that  are  now  abroad  in  the  earth.  The  need- 
ed antidote  to  the  bane,  we  are  persuaded,  is  to  be  found 
in  the  disclosures  of  the  New  Church,  and  in  them  alone. 
The  man  of  that  church  is  upon  a  plane  from  which  he 
can  look  down  upon  the  whole  field  of  development  be- 
low. Judged  himself  by  nothing  inferior,  he  judges  all 
by  virtue  of  his  position.  As,  therefore,  he  is  for  the 
most  part  exempt  from  the  perils  that  are  imminent  over 
others,  so  he  has  but  little  personal  interest  in  any  abnor- 
mal manifestations  of  this  nature  ;  for  what  has  he  to 
gain  by  them  ?  As  to  new  information  from  the  spiritual 
world,  new  light  cast  upon  its  iacts  and  laws,  he  smiles 
at  the  idea  of  accessions  to  his  knowledge  from  this 
source.  And  as  to  the  general  claims  and  assumptions 
of  the  New  Church,  he  sees  quite  as  little  ground  for  in- 
debtedness as  in  anything  else.  Tie  needs  no  confirma- 
tion from  this  source  of  the  truths  of  the  New  dispensa- 
tion, or  of  the  mission  of  its  herald.  Suppose  ever  so 
emphatic  a  response  to  assure  him  that  Swedenborg  was 
a  faithful  legate  of  heaven,  and  that  all  that  he  has  pro- 
mulgated in  the  name  of  the  Lord  is  true.  What  then? 
How  much  would  tliis  add  to  his  present  convictions  on 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


249 


this  score?  Does  he  not  believe  all  this  already,  and 
upon  much  higher  authority — that  of  rational  and  moral 
evidence  ?  Is  he  not  conscious  that  his  faith  is  founded 
upon  principles  inlaid,  in  the  very  ground-work  of  his  be- 
ing? But  suppose,  on  the  other  hand,  the  rapping  re- 
sponse should  deny  this,  and  declare  that  Swedenborg 
had  merely  given  forth  the  vagaries  of  his  own  brain  as 
celestial  verities  ?  Would  this  have  any  effect  upon 
him  ?  Would  he  not  at  once  pronounce  it  a  lie,  and  ad- 
judge that  spirit  to  hell,  the  abode  of  lies,  and  of  the 
father  of  lies  ?  xVnd  suppose  that  rappings  as  loud  as 
the  seven  thunders  of  the  Apocalypse  should  be  heard 
in  confirmation  of  the  denial,  would  he  not  still  brand  it 
as  an  infernal  falsity  ? 

It  is  not  then,  we  repeat,  the  man  of  the  Xew  Church 
who  is  likely  to  be  harmed,  as  he  certainly  will  not  be 
benefited,  by  this  form  of  spiritual  manifestation.  It  is 
another  class  entirely  who  bid  fair  to  become  victims  to 
delusions  from  this  source — a  class  composed  of  those 
who  are  addicted  to  a  so-called  spiritualism,  which  might 
as  well  be  termed  marvel-niougering,  and  who  are  yet  so 
little  principled  in  genuine  truth  as  to  be  unable  to  dis- 
criminate between  what  bears  the  stamp  of  heaven,  and 
what  is  marked  with  the  impress  of  the  pit.  Such  per- 
sons encountering  an  order  of  phenomena  so  novel,  so 
strange,  and  yet  sustained  by  such  an  overwhelming 
array  of  proof,  are  easily  led  to  yield  to  them  an  un- 
bounded credence.  The  developments  come  in  such 
plausive  guise,  they  urge  and  insinuate  themselves  with 
such  a  mighty  power  of  persuasion,  that  nothing  is  more 
natural  than  that  the  natural  man  should  be  taken  cap- 
tive by  them.  The  resisting  force  in  his  mind  is  not 
adequate  to  stem  the  torrent  of  subtle  influences  which 
from  this  quarter  pour  themselves  in  upon  him. 

For  this  reason  we  are  compelled,  therefore,  to  regard 
this  whole  order  of  phenomena  as  likely  to  prove  the  oc- 
casion of  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  momentous  trials  or 
probations  tliat  has  ever  befallen  the  human  race  ;  and 
as  the  thing  bids  fair  to  spread  and  to  engulf  the  credu- 
22* 


3S0 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


lity  of  thousands,  we  cannot  but  apply  to  all  such  as 
keep  aloof  from  the  peril,  the  words  of  the  Lord  to  the 
Church  of  Philadelphia  : — "  Because  thou  has  kept  the 
Avord  of  my  patience,  I  will  also  keep  thee  from  the  hour 
of  temptation  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world,  to 
try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth."  Nor  is  it  a  sug- 
gestion of  slight  import  in  this  connexion  that  in  matters 
of  this  kind  where  men  abandon  themselves  to  those 
lights  which  "  lead  to  bewilder  and  dazzle  to  blind,"  the 
Lord  himself  may  "  choose  their  delusions,"  or,  in  other 
words,  so  order  the  issues  of  His  Providence  that  those 
who  are  prompted  to  forsake  His  guidance  shall  be  borne 
onward  in  a  stream  of  phantasies  wearing  so  much  the 
garb  of  truth  that  they  shall  be  "  snared  and  taken,  and 
shall  fall  backward."    A  judicial  lot  shall  be  theirs. 

"  Hear  the  just  law,  the  judgment  of  the  skies  ; 
He  that  hates  ti-uth  shall  be  the  dupe  of  lies, 
And  he  that  will  be  cheated  to  the  last, 
Delusions  strong  as  hell  shall  hold  him  fast." 

This  is  in  strict  accordance  witli  the  tenor  of  the  Holy 
Word  as  communicated  to  the  Prophet  Ezekiel : 

"  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying,  Son  of  man,  these 
men  have  set  up  their  idols  in  their  heart,  and  put  the  stumbling-block 
of  their  iniquity  before  their  face ;  should  1  be  inquired  of  at  all  by 
them  ?  Therefore  speak  unto  them,  and  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God  :  Every  man  of  the  house  of  Israel  that  setteth  up  his  idols 
in  his  heart,  and  putteth  the  stumbling-block  of  his  iniquity  before  his 
face,  and  cometh  to  the  prophet ;  /  the  Lord  will  answer  him  that  cometh 
according  to  the  multitude  of  his  idols;  that  I  may  take  the  house  of 
Israel  in  their  own  heart,  because  they  are  all  estranged  from  me 
through  their  idols." 

Idols,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  are  false  doctrines  or  pre- 
conceived notions  derived  from  man's  self-intelligence, 
and  we  have  here  the  fearful  intimation  that  according 
to  these  pre-adopted  falsities  will  be  the  responses  palm- 
ed upon  him. 

There  is,  therefore,  but  one  point  of  view  in  which  the 
New  Churchman  can  look  with  complacency  upon  these 


PSEUDO  SPIRITUALISM. 


251 


abnormal  outbreaks  from  the  world  of  spirits — and  that 
is  as  aftbrding  a  species  of  proof  of  the  existence  of  a 
peopled  world  of  intelligence  by  which  we  are  constant- 
ly surrounded,  that  shall  stimulate  curiosity  to  explore 
the  writings  of  the  New  Church,  and  thus  open  a  door  of 
entrance  to  its  sublime  truths  and  its  genuine  goods.  It 
is  in  the  New  Church  alone  that  we  see  an  ark  of  safety 
to  the  poor  souls  that  are  otherwise  in  danger  of  being 
swallowed  up  in  the  floods  and  maelstroms  of  delusion 
that  are  now  yawning  for  victims. 

In  the  admission  above  made,  of  the  reality  of  the 
phenomena  embraced  under  the  general  head  of  "  spirit 
manifestations" — in  conceding  that  they  are  not  the  pro- 
duct of  fraud,  collusion,  legerdemain,  or  human  contri- 
vance of  any  kind — that  they  are  of  a  veritable  preter- 
natural (we  do  not  say  supernatural)  origin  ;  we  do  not 
consider  ourseh^es  as  precluded  from  admitting,  at  the 
same  time,  that  some  of  these  phenomena  are  intrinsical- 
ly susceptible  of  solution  on  merely  natural  principles. 
As  the  forms  of  these  manifestations  exhibit  a  vast 
variety,  it  is  certainly  possible  that  some  of  them  may 
be  due  to  causes  short  of  spiritual  agency,  or,  in  other 
words,  short  of  the  agency  of  disembodied  spirits. 
There  may  be  laws  of  man's  physical  or  psychical  econo- 
my, or  of  botli  combined,  of  which  we  have  been  hither- 
to ignorant,  capable  of  producing  some  of  the  effects  that 
are  witnessed  in  these  developments.  There  may  be, 
for  ought  we  know,  unconscious  emanations  and  opera- 
tions of  the  hidden  dynamics  of  our  being  that  have  all 
the  semblance  of  effects  produced  by  the  conscious  voli- 
tion of  an  intelligent  spirit.  This,  we  say,  may  be  the 
fact,  although  we  are  not  aware  that  any  adequate  proof 
has  been  adduced  that  it  is  so,  and  we  have  ourselves 
witnessed  numerous  experiments  that  could  not,  by  any 
possibility,  be  accounted  for  on  tliis  hypothesis.  But 
even  granting  it  to  be  true,  it  is  a  question  whether  it 
does  not  involve  principles  and  powers  in  solving  the 
phenomena  which  tax  credulity  quite  as  much  as  their 
reference  to  purely  spiritual  agents.    The  unconscious 


252 


PSETTDO-SI'IKITUALISM. 


projection  of  electrical  currents  from  the  brain  of  suffi- 
cient force  to  move  heavy  tables,  and  to  move  them  too, 
in  such  a  wa}',  as  to  respond  negatively  or  affirmatively, 
to  questions  proposed,  many  of  them  mental  questions, 
is  certainly  a  phenomenon  that  staggers  the  conception 
about  as  much  as  the  direct  reference  of  the  efiects  to 
the  action  of  spirits  that  have  left  the  flesh.  Yet  if  any 
one  imagines  that  he  saves  the  credit  of  his  philosophy 
by  this  mode  of  explanation,  and  finds  the  ground  of  the 
facts  sufBciently  covered  by  it,  we  at  least  shall  not  dis- 
turb him  in  the  easy-chair  repose  of  his  theory. 

But  it  is  not  a  solution  that  satisfies  us.  We  are  dis- 
posed, or  rather  forced,  to  fall  back  on  the  theory  of  in- 
telligent spiritual  agency  exerted  by  dwellers  within  the 
veil,  through  peculiar  human  organizations,  upon  materi- 
al substances  in  the  natural  world.  Still,  no  one  who 
receives  the  teachings  of  the  ISTew  Church  will  believe 
that  such  effects  are  produced  by  spirits  without  the  in- 
termediation of  certain  latent  powers  by  which  the 
spiritual  acts  upon  the  natural  world.  On  this  head  the 
language  of  Swedenborg  is  very  exjii-ess : 

"  Man  derives  to  liimself. /iw/i  ihe  inmost  principles  of  nature,  a  me- 
dium between  what  is  spiritual  and  what  is  natural  Here- 
by also  spirits  and  angels  can  be  adjoined  and  conjoined  to  the 
human  race  ;  for  there  is  conjunction,  and  where  there  is  conjunction, 
there  must  be  also  a  medium  ;  that  there  is  such  a  medium  the  angels 
know,  but  whereas  w  f  rom  ihe  inmost  principles  of  ))«^;trc,  and  the 
expressions  of  all  languages  are  from  its  ultimates,  it  can  only  be  des- 
cribed by  things  abstract." — Concern.  Div.  Wis.  VIII. 

These  "  inmost  principles  of  nature"  are  undoubtedly 
such  imponderables  as  electricity,  magnetism,  the  Odic 
force  of  Keichenbach,  &c.,  without  which  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  spirits  ever  attempt  to  operate 
upon  matter.  We  have  probably  an  allusion  to  the  same 
subtle  elements  in  the  following  paragraphs  : 

"  Every  man  after  death  puts  off  the  na  tural,  which  he  had  from  the 
mother,  and  retains  the  spiritual,  which  he  had  from  the  father,  together 
with  a  kind  of  border  (or  circumambient  accretion)  from  the  purest 
Ihiiigs  of  nature,  around  it ;  but  this  border,  with  those  who  come  into 
heaven,  is  below,  and  the  spiritual  above,  but  that  border  with  those 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISSI. 


253 


who  come  into  hell,  is  above  and  the  spiritual  below.  Thence  it  is 
that  a  man-angel  speaks  from  heaven,  thus  what  is  good  and  true  ;  but 
that  a  man-devil  speaks  from  hell,  while  from  his  heart,  and,  as  it  were, 
from  heaven,  while  from  his  mouth  ;  he  docs  this  abroad,  but  that  at 
home."— 7".  C.jR.103. 

"  The  natural  mind  of  man  consists  both  of  spiritual  and  natural  sub- 
stances ;  from  its  spiritual  substances,  thought  is  produced,  but  not 
from  its  natural  substances,  the  latter  "substances  recede,  when  a  man 
dies,  but  not  the  spiritual  substances  ;  hence,  the  same  mind,  after 
death,  when  a  man  becomes  a  spirit  or  angel,  remains  in  a  form  like 
what  it  had  in  the  world.  The  natural  substances  of  that  mind,  which, 
as  has  been  said,  recede  by  death,  constitute  the  cutaneous  covering  of 
the  spiritual  body  of  spirits  and  angels ;  by  means  of  this  covering, 
which  is  taken  from  the  natural  world,  their  spiritual  bodies  subsist ; 
for  the  natural  is  the  ultimate  continent ;  hence,  there  is  no  spirit  or 
angel,  who  was  not  born  a  man." — D.  L.  Sf  W.  257. 

From  these  extracts  it  appears  that  spirits  in  the  other 
life  are  still  connected  by  a  subtle  bond  with  the  natural 
world,  and  it  is  a  fair  inference  that  it  is  by  means  of 
this  connecting  medium  that  the  physical  effects  mani- 
fested in  so  many  quarters  at  the  present  day  are  pro- 
duced. As  to  the  precise  mode  in  which  the  effects  take 
place,  it  may  not  be  possible  for  us  at  present  to  deter- 
mine it,  nor  can  we,  perhaps,  fully  assure  ourselves  that 
it  is  not  a  comparatively  recent  discovery  with  spirits 
themselves. 

It  will  be  observed,  however,  that  in  the  passage  from 
the  T.  G.  R.  there  is  something  peculiarly  significant  in 
what  is  said  of  the  relative  position  or  seat  of  these 
"natural  substances"  in  the  good  and  the  evil.  In  the 
former  they  are  below,  i.  e.,  subjected  and  subordinate 
to  the  spiritual,  while  in  the  latter  the  order  is  reversed, 
and  evil  sjnrits  in  consequence  have  more  facility  in 
coming  in  contact  with  the  natural  sphere  than  have  the 
good.  It  seems  also  to  be  implied  that  on  this  account 
whatever  communications  are  made  by  spirits  of  this 
class  have  externally  the  guise  of  truth,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  the  prompting  source  within  is  in  association 
with  hell.  We  are  not  entirely  certain  of  having  rightly 
construed  this  passage,  but  our  impression  is  strong  that. 


254 


PSEUDO-SriRITUAIJSM. 


duly  apprehended,  it  discloses  some  very  important  in- 
formation bearing  upon  the  subject  before  us.  On  this 
subject  our  object  now  is  to  state,  in  continuance,  the  re- 
sult of  our  investigations,  and  we  accordingly  remark : 

3.  That  these  alleged  spiritual  communications  not 
only  do  not  impart  any  important  truth,  but  they 
abound  with  the  grossest  falsities.  We  should  perhaps 
do  injustice  to  the  "  circle^,"  and  their  invisible  presi- 
dents, to  say  that  the  staple  of  their  coujiuunications  was 
made  up  of  positive  errors,  for  the  main  material,  as  far 
as  we  liave  observed,  consists  of  little  more  than  a  vein  of 
vapid  truisms,  or  a  kind  of  sentimental  moralizing,  with  a 
marvellously  scanty  infusion  of  new  ideas,  and  with  next 
to  no  element  at  all  of  spiritual  power  or  even  attraction. 
But,  beside  this,  we  do  find  every  now  and  then  the  peering 
forth  of  direct  and  palpable  falsities,  which,  however, 
are  not  so  easy  of  detection,  except  to  one  conversant 
with  the  revelations  vouchsafed  to  the  man  of  the  New 
Church.  Of  this  class  are  the  representations  almost  in- 
variably made  respecting  Svvedenborg  and  his  revela- 
tions. With  scarcely  an  exception  that  has  ever  come 
to  our  knowledge,  they  speak  substantially  the  language 
of  the  following  extract,  professing  to  be  a  cjmmunica- 
tion  from  his  spirit  through  a  medium  in  which  "  he  re- 
cognizes a  reflecting  mirror  of  his  inmost  thoughts." 

"  I  wish  to  say  to  the  world  that  the  writuig'.:>  which  were  published 
while  I  was  yet  an  inhabitant  of  earth,  contain  many  important  errors, 
while  they  reveal  much  important  truth ;  tliat  the  beauties  of  the 
celestial  world  were  unknown  to  my  imprisoned  spirit  as  they  are  now 
presented  to  my  view  ;  that  the  sweetness  and  pm-ity  which  pervade 
all  the  glorious  mansions  of  ciernal  life,  were  entirely  unappreciated  by 
the  writer  of  many  books  ;  tlial  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  ex- 
panding heavens — the  happiness  and  re!inenicnt  which  are  breathed  in- 
to the  deepest  heart  of  the  sou! — tlie  brightness  and  attraction  which 
call  the  spirit  ever  onward  aiul  upward,  were  wholly  lost  to  the  dark- 
ened mind  which  one?  grop;'d  amid  the  shadows  of  theological  error. 
But  in  the  transition  which  ha^  taken  place  in  my  position,  and  the 
transformation  which  has  passed  over  my  entire  b^ing,  arc  the  in- 
fluences which  have  introduced  me  to  a  loftier  eminence  of  spiritual 
life — a  nobler  expansion  of  the  interior  vision,  and  a  more  truthful 
conception  of  celestial  realities.    Hence  I  am  now  prepared  to  speak 


rSEUDO-SPIBITTJALISM. 


255 


of  those  tilings  at  present,  which  I  could  not  have  compreheuded  while 
in  the  body ;  and  hence  I  now  discover  the  use,  the  benefit,  and  the 
blessins:  of  spiritual  niai;ifestations  as  I  coidd  not  have  done  in  my 
connection  with  the  earthly  form. 

•'  The  spirit  wishes  to  say  that  he  is  pleased  to  unfold  to  the  world 
the  knowledge  which  he  has  obtained,  and  that  he  can  assure  the  in- 
dividuals whom  he  may  address,  that  the  revealments  which  are  bow 
made  by  him  are  reliable  in  the  most  literal  sense.  He  has  seen  that 
the  world  has  looked  at  the  manifestations  of  spiritual  presence  with 
emotions  of  blind  and  almost  stupid  wonderment :  that  it  has  regard- 
ed every  occurrence  of  this  character  as  necessarily  opposed  to  the 
cstabUshed  laws  of  Nature  and  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  revela- 
tions of  former  ages  ;  that  the  beauty  of  spiritual  truth  has  thus  been 
overlooked  and  despised  in  the  uncontrolled  devotion  to  human  creeds, 
and  that  the  blessings  which  such  truth  is  adapted  to  bring  to  the 
earth-bound  soul  have  been  disregarded  and  rejected.  In  this  dark 
and  repelling  atmosphere,  where  doubt,  and,  fear,  and  ignorance  ai-c 
constantly  making  their  gloom  felt  by  the  soul,  I  would  introduce  some 
small  portion  of  spiritual  light  that  the  eyes  of  the  spirit  may  not  be 
entirely  destitute  of  that  soothing  and  invigorating  element  which  it  so 
really  needs." — Spirit  Messenger,  Feb.,  1852. 

"  If  tliuu  art  he,  alas,  how  follen  I"  To  say  nothing  of 
the  absi;rd  intimation  that  the  briglitness  and  attraction 
of  lieaven  were  wholly  lost  to  his  darkened  mind  while 
"  groping  amid  the  shadows  of  theological  error'' — that 
is,  during  his  abode  on  earth — how  ridiculous  the  idea 
that  the  vigorous  and  massive  sense  of  the  groat  hiero- 
phant  should  ever  lapse  down  to  such  puling  luawkish- 
ncss  as  we  read  in  this  paragraph.  If  a  counterfeit 
presentment  is  to  be  recognized  in  the  case,  the  per- 
sonation is  a  miserable  failure,  and  the  spirits  above 
must  have  a  very  poor  opinion  of  the  discernment  of  the 
spirits  on  the  earth  to  suppose  that  the}^  could  be  misled 
by  such  abortive  mimicry. 

The  following  excerpt  from  the  vision  of  Judge  Ed- 
monds, published  in  the  Shekinah  (No.  III.)  comes  into 
the  same  category.  After  relating  the  appearance  to 
him  of  "Wm.  Penn  and  Sir  Isaac  iS^ewton,  he  pro- 
ceeds : 

"  Swedenborg  then  appeared  and  said  to  me  that  in  his  revelations 
of  what  he  had  seen,  he  was  right  and  truthful  and  to  be  relied  upon, 
but  not  in  the  theory  which  he  had  built  upon  them  ;  and  especially 


256 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUAUSM. 


he  mentioned  his  doctrine  of  correspondences,  and  his  attempt  to  recon- 
cile his  revelations  with  the  popular  religion  of  his  day.  And  he  said, 
as  the  Bible  contained  many  important  and  valuable  truths,  yet  being 
■written  in  and  for  an  unprogressing  age,  it  contained  errors  and  imper- 
fections ;  so  his  theological  writings  contained  many  valuable  truths,  as 
well  as  some  errors,  produced  by  his  desire  to  reconcile  the  truths  which 
were  unfolded  to  him  with  the  prevailing  theology  of  his  age.  He 
bade  us  beware  of  his  errors,  to  receive  as  true  his  revelations,  but 
discard  his  theories,  and  instead  of  them  to  appeal  to  our  own  under- 
standings for  the  inferences  to  be  drawn  from  the  truths  he  had  de- 
veloped." 

We  should  feel  for  ourselves  great  difficulty  to  con- 
dense into  the  same  compass  the  same  amount  of  false 
statement — due  to  the  spirits  of  course,  if  they  uttered 
it — which  we  encounter  in  these  few  lines.  In  the  first 
place,  the  distinction  here  adverted  to  between  Sweden- 
borg's  "  revelations"  and  his  "  theories"  is  totally  gratuit- 
ous and  groundless.  He  has  built  no  theories  upon  his 
asserted  facts.  He  does  not  deal  in  theories.  The  mis- 
sion intrusted  to  him  was  of  a  nature  to  forbid  the  intro- 
duction of  any  speculations  of  his  own.  "What  Judge 
Edmonds  would  call  "  theories,"  are  among  the  authori- 
tative announcements  which  he  makes  of  the  laws  and 
principles  that  prevail  in  the  Lord's  universe,  and  he 
states  them  as  facts  and  not  as  inferences.  Again,  it  is 
impossible  that  he  should  have  said  anything  that  would 
imply  the  unsoundness  of  his  doctrine  of  correspondences 
in  any  respect,  for  this  is  the  grand  theme  of  his  revela- 
tions, which  the  Judge  says  we  are  to  receive.  The  doc- 
trine of  correspondences  is  the  discovery  to  the  world  of 
the  relation  subsisting  between  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual  spheres,  and  without  this  discovery,  Sweden- 
borg's  revelations  might  as  well  not  have  been.  If 
Judge  E.  had  been  at  all  adequately  acquainted  with 
Swedenborg's  works  he  would  have  been  able  at  once  to 
brand  such  an  insinuation  as  an  outrageous  falsity. 
Once  more,  it  is  a  falsity  equally  gross  that  Swedenborg 
sought  to  reconcile  his  revelations  with  the  popular  the- 
ology of  his  age.  Nothing  co\dd  be  farther  from  the 
truth.    Never  was  there  a  more  emphatic  repudiation,  a 


rSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


257 


more  point-blank  disclaimei",  of  an  erroneous  system  of 
dogmas  than  he  has  proclaimed  to  all  generations  of 
men.  Let  any  intelligent  man  acfpiaint  himself  with 
what  Swedenborg  has  taught  on  the  doctrines  of  the 
Trinity,  the  Incarnation,  Redemption,  Regeneration,  the 
Word,  Faith,  Charity,  Good  Works,  Freewill,  Repent- 
ance, Heaven  and  Hell,  Baptism,  the  Lord's  Supper, 
&c.,  and  then  pronounce  whether  he  was  a  man  "  to 
trim  his  way  to  seek  love  " — whether  he  has  any  where 
shown  a  temporizing  and  conciliating  policy,  as  if  desir- 
ous to  keep  in  favor  with  the  ruling  theology,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  was  consciously  uttering  truths  which 
went  directly  to  overthrow  the  entire  system  of  the  old 
schools.  We  have  high  respect  for  Judge  E.  in  his 
judicial  capacity,  and  we  should  like  to  have  his  keen 
power  of  analysis  brought  to  bear  from  the  bench  upon 
such  a  tissue  of  fallacies  as  seems  to  have  been  imposed 
upon  him  in  this  visionary  ftibrication. 

We  have  cited  the  above  as  specimens  of  their  class. 
Ex  hoc  disGG  omnes^  and  their  name  is  legion.  These 
wonderful  revelators  from  the  "sixth  circle"  downwards, 
are  perpetually  prating  of  the  errors  of  Swedenborg's 
writings,  and  yet  they  take  good  care  never  to  specify  or 
hint  what  they  are,  so  that  the  charge  can  be  directly 
and  distinctly  met.  It  would  seem  beyond  question  that 
these  communicating  spirits,  as  a  general  fact,  have  some 
special  reasons  for  dealing  in  disparaging  insinuations  in 
regard  to  Swedenborg,  while  at  the  same  time,  as  if  not 
to  shock  too  severely  the  estimate  in  which  they  know 
he  is  held,  they  interlard  their  discourses  with  patron- 
ising compliments  which  would  create  an  impression  that 
he  is  still,  with  all  his  faults,  a  Magnus  Apollo  to  them 
also,  as  he  is  to  many  that  are,  as  they  say,  "  yet  in  the 
form." 

But  it  is  not  simply  the  person  of  Swedenborg  which 
many  of  their  reports  misrepresent ;  his  doctrines  also 
are  discredited,  as  far  as  can  be  done  by  the  inculcation 
of  doctrines  directly  the  reverse  of  his. 

Among  the  most  striking  phenomena  connected  with 
23 


258 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


the  spirit  manifestations  is  the  linguistic  writing  of 
which  some  engraved  specimens  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
"  Shekinah"  edited  by  Mr.  Brittan.  Sentences  and 
paragraphs  in  Hebrew,  Arabic,  Sanscrit  were  mysteri- 
ously penned  on  paper,  parchment,  books,  and  even 
upon  the  walls  of  the  room  in  which  the  medium  lodged. 

The  history  of  this  curious  affair  will  be  more  in- 
teresting from  the  annexed  correspondence  respecting  it, 
consisting  of  a  letter  from  E.  P.  Fowler,  the  medium, 
and  of  one  from  ourself,  written  in  compliance  with  a  re- 
quest from  Mr.  Brittan  the  Editor  of  the  Shekinah.  As 
the  manuscript  was  submitted  to  our  inspection,  we  had 
no  objection  to  state  the  matters  of  fact  which  had  come 
to  our  knowledge.  We  assume  thereby  no  patronage  of 
the  marvel,  which  we  choose  to  let  stand  or  fall  by  its 
own  merits. 

Editor  of  the  Shekinah  : 

Dear  Sib  : — In  pursuance  of  your  request  to  communicate  the 
facts  of  my  experience,  which  relate  to  the  origin  of  the  writings,  I 
submit  the  following  brief  statement :  On  the  night  of  the  21st  of 
November,  1851,  while  sleeping  alone  in  the  third  story  of  the  house, 
I  was  awakened  about  one  o'clock,  by  sounds  of  footsteps  in  my  room. 
Looking  up,  I  saw  five  men,  some  of  them  dressed  in  ancient  costume, 
walking  about  and  conversing  together.  Some  of  them  spoke  with  me, 
and  among  other  things  told  me  not  to  be  frightened,  that  they  would 
uot  harm  me,  &c.  I  attempted  to  rise,  however,  to  go  down  stairs, 
but  found  that  my  limbs  were  paralyzed.  These  strange  visitants  re- 
mained with  me  about  three  hours,  and  finally  disappeared  while  going 
toward  a  window,  and  when  within  about  two  feet  of  it.  They  did  not 
open  the  window.  During  the  succeeding  night,  and  at  about  the  same 
hour,  I  was  again  awakened  in  a  similar  manner,  and  saw  several  per- 
sons in  my  room.  Some  of  those  who  were  there  on  the  previous 
night  were  present  with  others  whom  I  had  never  seen  before.  One 
of  them  had  what  appeared  to  be  a  box  about  eighteen  inches 
square,  and  some  nine  inches  high  ;  it  seemed  to  contain  electrical 
apparatus.  They  placed  the  box  on  the  table,  and  then  electrical 
emanations,  like  currents  of  light  of  different  colors,  were  seen  issuing 
from  the  box.  One  of  the  company  placed  a  piece  of  paper,  pen  and 
ink  on  the  lid  of  this  box.  The  luminous  currents  now  centered 
around  the  pen,  which  was  immediately  taken  up  and  dipped  in  the 
ink,  and  without  the  application  of  any  other  force  or  instrument,  so 
far  as  I  could  perceive,  the  pen  was  made  to  move  across  the  paper 


PSKUDO-SPIKITUALISM. 


259 


and  a  communication  was  made  which  I  have  since  learned  was  in  the 
Hebrew  language.  This  information  I  received  from  Prof.  Bush,  to 
whom  the  writings  were  submitted  for  translation,  and  whose  letter  ad- 
dressed to  you  will  accompany  this  statement.  Soon  after  three 
o'clock,  my  companions  left  me  as  they  had  done  the  previous  night, 
taking  the  box  with  them.  During  the  time  they  were  in  my  apart- 
ment, I  was  in  possession  of  my  natural  senses,  and  not  only  sa.\v  them, 
but  the  furniture  in  the  room,  by  means  of  the  illumination  which 
their  presence  caused ;  and  I  also  heard  the  clock  strike,  and  carriages 
passing  in  the  street. 

I  Lave  since  witnessed  many  similar  occurrences  in  which  writing, 
said  to  be  in  the  Hebrew,  Arabic,  Bengalee,  and  other  languages,  have, 
in  like  manner,  been  executed  in  my  room.  I  only  speak  of  the  facts 
as  disclosed  to  my  senses  :  of  the  several  languages  referred  to  I  know 
nothing.  Yours  truly,  E.  P.  F. 

New- York,  March  26, 1852. 


Mr.  Brittax— Dear  Sir :  In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  will- 
ingly make  a  statement  respecting  the  several  communications  in  He- 
brew, Arabic,  Bengalee,  &c.,  which  have  been  submitted  to  my  in- 
spection. In  doing  so  you  of  course  understand  that  I  speak  merely 
as  the  witness  of  certain  facts,  and  not  as  the  partisan  advocate  of  any 
theory  by  which  these  and  similar  facts  may  be  attempted  to  be  ac- 
counted for. 

The  first  of  these  manuscripts  was  in  Hebrew,  containing  a  few 
verses  from  the  last  chapter  of  the  Prophet  Daniel.  This  was  correct- 
ly written,  with  the  exception  of  several  apparently  arbitrary  omissions, 
and  one  rather  violent  transposition  of  a  woi-d  from  an  upper  to  a 
lower  line.  The  next  was  from  the  book  of  Joel  (Ch.  ii.  23-27,)  and 
was  also  correctly  written,  with  one  or  two  trifling  errors,  of  such  a 
nature,  however,  as  would  be  very  unlikely  to  be  made  either  by  one 
who  understood  the  language,  or  by  one  who  should  undertake  to 
transcribe  the  passage  mechanically  from  Hebrew. 

The  other  specimens  were  in  the  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  Bengalee 
languages,  to  which  I  may  add  a  paragraph  in  French,  written 
underneath  the  Bengalee,  and  apparently  a  translation  of  it.  As 
this  was  from  Joel  ii.  28,  29,  it  could  easily  be  verified  by  re- 
currence to  a  Bengalee  version  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  library  of 
the  American  Bible  Society.  The  sentences  in  the  Arabic  character 
were  also  ascertained  to  be  mostly  translations  of  a  few  verses  from  the 
Arabic  portion  of  the  Scriptures.  One  of  them,  however,  I  am  in- 
formed, was  alleged  by  the  spirits  to  be  a  quotation  or  translation  of 
some  lines  from  Pope.    But  how  this  is  to  be  understood  I  know  not. 

The  style  of  the  manuscript  is  very  peculiar.  Whoever  were  the 
penmen,  the  act  of  writing  seems  to  have  been  preceded  by  some  pre- 
liminary flourishes  of  a  very  singular  and  zigzag  appearance,  com- 


260 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


mencing  at  or  near  the  top  of  the  page,  and  connecting  with  the  first 
■word  of  the  script.  In  the  case  of  one  of  the  Arabic  extracts,  there 
were  traces  over  the  paper,  which  indicated  that  the  pen  for  some  rea- 
son was  not  raised  during  the  writing  ;  besides  which  the  lines  run 
diagonally  across  the  sheet,  and  were  followed  by  an  imperfect  sentence 
in  English,  terminating  in  the  Arabic  word  signifying  end.  Alto- 
gether the  specimens  are  of  an  extraordinary  character,  such  as  I  can- 
not well  convey  by  any  verbal  description. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  documents,  I  am  not  yet  prepared  to  express 
an  opinion.  They  come  proximately  from  the  hands  of  Mr.  E.  P. 
Fowler,  a  young  gentleman  with  whom  I  had  previously  no  acquaint- 
ance, but  who,  since  I  have  become  acquainted  with  him,  does  not  at 
all  impress  mc  as  one  who  would  knowingly  practice  deception  on 
others,  however  he  might  by  possibility  be  imposed  upon  himself.  He 
certainly  has  no  knowledge  of  the  above  languages,  nor  do  I  think  it 
likely  that  he  is  leagued  in  collusion  with  any  one  who  has.  A  man 
who  is  versed  in  these  ancient  and  oriental  tongues,  would  be,  I  think, 
but  little  prone  to  lend  himself  as  a  jiarty  to  a  pitiful  scheme  of  im- 
posture. It  must,  indeed,  be  admitted  to  be  possible  that  Mr.  Fowler 
may  himself  have  copied  the  extracts  from  printed  books,  but  I  can 
only  say  for  myself  that,  from  internal  evidence,  and  from  a  multitude 
of  collateral  circumstances,  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  he  never  did 
it.  But  my  conviction  on  this  score  will,  of  course,  have  very  little 
weight  with  others,  which,  however,  is  a  point  of  small  conse- 
quence with  me.  In  like  manner,  I  am  equally  confident  that  he, 
though  the  medium  on  the  occasion,  had,  consciously,  nothing  to  do 
with  a  Hebrew  communication  which  was  spelled  out  to  me  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  circle  of  very  respectable  gentlemen,  not  one  of  whom,  be- 
side myself,  had  any  knowledge  of  that  language.  In  the  present  case 
the  only  alternative  solution  that  occurs  to  me  is,  that  it  was  either 
an  unconscious  feat  of  somnambulism,  or  that  it  was  the  veritable 
work  of  spirits,  effected  by  some  spiritual-natural  dynamics  in  the  man- 
ner he  describes.  Which  is  most  probable,  or  what  is  more  probable 
than  either,  your  readers  must  decide  for  themselves. 

Very  respectfully  yours,  &c.,  G.  Bush. 

New-Yokk,  March  27,  1852, 

Now  it  must  be  admitted  that  this  is  a  most  extraor- 
dinary occurrence,  view  it  how  we  may.  It  is  marvel- 
lous if  the  writing  was  efi'ected  by  spirits — marvellous  if 
by  young  Fowler  while  in  asomnabulic  state — and  mar- 
vellous not  a  little  if  executed  by  him  in  a  waking  and 
conscious  state,  inasmuch  as  his  tastes,  habits,  pursuits, 
are  all  entirely  foreign  to  oriental  studies  ;  and  the  follow- 
ing letter  recently  published  in  the  "  Spiritual  Telegraph" 


PSEUDO-SPIRmjALISM. 


261 


contains  statements  wliich  go  to  render  that  supposition 
extremely  incredible. 

S.  B.  Brittax — Dear  Sir:  I  have  been  solicited  by  a  mutual  friend 
to  send  you  a  concise  statement  of  my  experience,  as  connected  with 
some  mysterious  writings  which  have  occurred  in  my  room,  a  fac 
simile  of  one  of  which  appeared  in  No.  9  of  the  Spiritual  Telegraph. 
I  comply  with  the  request,  though  in  contrariety  to  my  inclinations, 
which  would  prompt  me  to  shrink  from  any  publicity. 

The  original  paper  containing  the  autographs  I  found  upon  my 
table,  about  three  o'clock  one  afternoon  on  my  return  from  business  ; 
the  paper  used  being  a  sheet  of  drawing-paper,  which  was  incidentally 
left  on  my  table,  and  which  I  am  sure  was  blank  when  I  left  my  room 
in  the  forenoon.  The  succeeding  autographical  manuscript,  a  repre- 
sentation of  which  was  published,  was  e.xecuted  in  my  room  ou  a 
piece  of  parchment,  left  on  my  table,  by  direction  of  the  spirits,  for 
that  purpose.  This  was  written  on  during  the  night,  while  I  was  in 
my  room  asleep.  I  would  add  that  many  of  the  signatures  on  the 
parchment  were  entirely  strange  to  me,  having  never  seen  them 
before. 

I  have  also  had  several  specimens  of  various  oriental  languages, 
written  in  my  room,  ou  paper,  which  I  could  identify  as  my  own, 
though  the  languages  were  unknown  to  me.  These  have  been  written 
on,  both  when  1  have  been  in  my  room,  and  when  I  have  been  absent. 
Several  of  the  languages  referred  to  I  had  never  seen  prior  to  my  ac- 
quaintance with  them  through  these  mystical  manuscripts,  and  of 
course  did  not  know  what  they  were,  until  I  had  submitted  them  to  a 
linguist,  who  read  them  with  facility. 

The  first  one  which  I  received  was,  as  I  am  informed  through  the 
kindness  of  Professor  Bush,  a  quotation  from  the  Old  Testament,  writ- 
ten in  Hebrew.  The  execution  of  this  occurred  about  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  soon  after  I  had  returned  from  my  business.  I  was 
alone  in  my  room,  when,  through  the  sounds  which  then  occurred  in 
my  presence,  I  was  requested  to  leave  the  room  for  the  space  of  five 
minutes,  during  which  interval  they — "  spirits" — promised  an  attempt 
to  write.  I  obeyed  their  request,  and  went  into  a  room  below,  where 
sat  my  sister.  I  told  her  what  had  transpired,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  five  minutes  we  both  ascended  to  my  room.  Instead  of  finding,  as 
we  had  conjectured  we  should,  some  directions  written  in  English,  we 
discovered  this  Hebrew  quotation,  the  ink  on  the  paper  being  still  un- 
absorbed,  although  after  experiments  proved  that  the  ink  of  a  hand 
heavier  than  that  in  which  the  Hebrew  was  written,  would,  on  the 
same  kind  of  paper,  invariably  dry  in  from  two  to  three  minutes' 
time. 

That  these  writings  have  not  been  imposed  upon  me,  I  know,  be- 
cause I  have  seen  some  of  them  written.  I  have  seen  them  written  in 
the  day  time  as  well  as  in  the  night ;  and  that  I  was  in  no  "  abnormal 

23--* 


262 


PSEUDO-SPIEITUA  L I SM. 


magnetic  state,"  I  infer  from  the  fact  that  my  consciousness  of  the  cir- 
cumstances of  outward  life  remained  unimpaired.  The  ringing  of  fire- 
bells,  moving  of  engines,  the  tolling  of  the  bells  at  the  ferry,  the  pad- 
dling of  the  boat's  wheels,  and  various  other  noises  common  to  the 
city,  were  no  less  distinctly  heard  than  at  other  times. 

That  these  writings  were  not  perpetrated  by  myself  I  have  many 
strong  proofs.  First :  I  had  never  seen  any  specimens  of  the  languages 
in  which  most  of  the  manuscripts  were  written,  and  even  to  the  present 
date,  I  have  seen  no  other  specimens  of  one  or  two  of  the  languages 
used.  Second  :  That  power  which  has  communicated  to  us  in  our  cir- 
cle, through  the  rappings  and  lifting  of  tables,  professes  to  have  per- 
formed this  writing  also. 

That  these  rappings  and  lifting  are  not  the  results  of  an  "  abnormal 
magnetic  state,"  I  have  reason  to  suppose  from  the  fact  that  manifesta- 
tions have  been  made  in  our  circle  iu  the  light,  palpable  to  the  various 
senses  of  all  present,  which  by  far  surpassed  in  point  of  power  the 
capability  of  any  one  in  the  circle.  But  if  this,  too,  with  all  the  rest, 
is  but  a  fancy,  a  dream,  then  is  my  whole  life  but  a  dream — a  very 
real  dream — and  not  altogether  poetical  in  its  course. 

Had  I  time  and  disposition,  I  might  relate  facts  sufficient  to  fill  a 
volume  in  relation  to  this  matter,  the  majority  of  which  would  favor 
none  other  than  the  spiritual  theory  ;  but  as  I  am  no  literary  charac- 
ter, I  will  here  leave  the  matter  to  the  numerous  others  who  are,  and 
whose  facts  are  douljtless  as  much  to  the  point  as  my  own. 

Yours  truly,  E.  P.  Fowler. 

New-Yoke,  Aug.,  1852. 

In  this  connection  we  may  introduce  from  the  same 
pajDer  the  following  extract  "from  an  extended  statement 
of  facts  relative  to  these  occurrences,  beariog  the  signa- 
tures of  the  respected  gentlemen  composing  the  circle, 
to  the  truth  of  which,  as  for  as  we  are  concerned,  we 
can  bear  decided  testimony.  "We  were  not  a  member  of 
the  circle,  but  attended  simply  on  invitation  to  that  effect 
purporting  to  come  from  the  spirits  themselves. 

"  During  the  session  on  the  19th  of  January,  1852,  the  spirits  signi- 
fied their  desire  to  make  a  communication  in  Hebrew.  Mr.  Partridge 
asked  who  should  call  the  alphabet,  and  received  the  answer, '  the  only 
one  present  tcho  vnclersiands  it — George  Bush.'  Professor  Bush 
thereupon  proceeded  to  repeat  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  and  a  communica- 
tion in  that  language  was  received." 

In  addition  to  the  above  we  may  remark  that  we  have 
in  our  possession  an  octagon-shaped  pitcher,  of  Liverpool 


PSEDDO-SPIRITIJALISM. 


263 


ware,  the  outside  of  which  is  covered  with  Arabic  and 
Hebrew  words,  written  according  to  Mr.  Fowler's  state- 
ment while  he  was  asleep  at  night.  It  was  filled  with 
water,  a  boquet  of  flowers  ])ut  into  it,  and  in  the  evening 
placed  upon  the  table  of  his  apartment  by  his  sister, 
and  that  with  no  other  design  than  marks  a  thousand 
little  acts  of  female  taste  and  courtesy.  In  the  morning 
the  flat  compartments  of  the  pitcher  were  written  over 
crosswise  in  the  characters  above  mentioned.  The 
legend,  however,  is  not  composed  of  sentences  making  a 
coherent  sense,  but  apparently  of  detached  words  or 
combinations  of  letters,  some  of  them  more  than  once 
repeated.  The  Hebrew  for  God  occurs,  as  also  the 
phrase  in  the  second  Psalm,  translated — They  have 
taken  counsel  together.  There  is  also  our  own  name — 
Ihsh^  lchish,for  Bush,  in  the  Hebrew  character. 

Our  object  in  adverting  to  these  facts  is,  to  state  some 
of  the  grounds  on  which  we  are  constrained  to  yield  an 
undoubting  credence  to  the  reality  and  preternatural 
origin  of  these  singular  manifestations.  To  multitudes 
of  our  readers  wc  have  no  doubt  this  will  be  the  last 
solution  they  would  ever  think  of  giving  to  the  facts  in 
question,  and  their  incredulity  on  this  head  we  have  no 
disposition  to  disturb.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  they 
should  feel  the  force  of  the  evidence  that  weighs  with 
us,  neither  can  they  say  that  they  should  not  have  felt 
it,  as  we  have,  under  the  same  circumstances ;  that  is  to 
say,  they  are  not  prepared,  on  good  grounds,  to  declare 
our  conclusions  on  the  subject  unwarranted  or  unsound. 
They  cannot  say  but  that  they  would  have  adopted  the 
same  conclusion  from  the  same  i^remises. 

But  we  go  the  extent  of  our  concessions  when  we  ad- 
mit the  reality  of  the  phenomena  in  the  sense  above  de- 
fined. In  an  estimate  of  the  intrinsic  character  of  the 
communications  made,  and  of  the  practical  bearing  of 
the  whole  affair,  we  differ  in  toto  from  most  of  those  who 
have  devoted  tliemselves  to  the  culture  of  this  form  of 
spiritualism  so  called.  Our  reasons  for  this  we  purpose 
to  give  in  what  follows. 


264: 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


It  may  not  be  at  once  obvious  with  what  propriety 
our  present  beading  is  retained  after  the  concessions  we 
have  already  made  as  to  the  reality  and  the  spiritual 
origin  of  the  phenomena  in  question.  Pseudo- Spiritual- 
ism denotes  a  spiritualism  that  is  false,  and  it  may  be 
asked  how  this  epithet  can  apply  to  an  order  of  occur- 
rences admitted  to  be  from  a  veritable  spiritual  source  ?  It 
would  doubtless  be  less  easy  to  show  the  congruit}'-  of  the 
appellation  with  the  facts  on  any  other  ground  than  on 
that  of  the  New  Church.  Guided  by  the  light  of  that 
church,  we  learn  that  true  spiritualism  does  not  consist 
in  dealing  with  spiritual  things  as  contradistinguished 
from  natural  or  physical,  but  in  the  opening  of  the  spirit- 
ual degree  of  the  mind,  and  in  a  course  of  life,  thought, 
and  aft'ection  accordant  with  its  principles  and  dictates. 
It  is  indeed  to  be  admitted  that  the  term  spiritual  not 
unfrequently  occurs  in  the  former  sense,  especially  when 
used  interchangeably  with  substantial  as  distinguished 
from  material.  In  this  sense  a  man  after  death  is  not  a 
natural,  but  a  spiritual  man,  though  still  perfectly  organ- 
ized, and  having  a  marked  resemblance  to  the  natural 
man  of  the  flesh.  But  with  men  in  the  natural  world 
translated  spirits  have  no  open  or  sensible  communication. 
They  see  no  longer  those  of  the  natural,  but  those  of  the 
spiritual  world,  and  "  the  reason,"  says  our  illumined  au- 
thor, "  why  they  now  see  the  latter,  and  not  the  former,  is 
because  they  are  no  longer  natural  men,  but  spiritual  or 
substantial  /  and  a  spiritual  or  substantial  man  sees  a  spirit- 
ual or  substantial  man,  as  a  natural  or  material  man  sees 
a  natural  or  material  man,  but  not  vice  versa,  on  account 
of  the  difference  between  what  is  substantial  and  what  is 
material.'' — G.  L.  31.  In  another  connexion  he  makes 
the  following  distinction  :  "  The  reason  why  such  repre- 
sentatives exist  in  the  spiritual  world,  is  because  in  that 
world  there  are  spiritual  things  interior  and  exterior  :  in- 
terior spiritual  things  are  those  that  relate  to  affection,  and 
to  thought  thence  derived,  or  to  the  intelligence  of  truth 
and  the  wisdom  of  good ;  and  exterior  spiritual  things  are  so 
created  by  the  Lord,  that  they  may  clothe  or  invest  interior 
spiritual  things,  and  when  these  are  clothed  or  invested, 


PSEUDO-SPIEITtJALISSr. 


265 


then  there  exists  such  forms  as  are  in  the  natural  world, 
in  which,  therefore,  interior  spiritual  things  ultimately 
terminate,  and  in  which  they  ultimatly  exist." — A.  E. 
582.  Here  it  is  clear  that  the  term  sjnritual  is  applied  to 
denote  the  substances  existing  in  the  spiritual  world,  in 
and  through  which,  as  representatives  and  corresponden- 
ces, interior  spiritual  principles  of  thought  and  affection 
manifest  themselves.  This  exterior  spirituality  is  of 
course  of  a  much  lower  grade  then  the  interior  with 
which  it  is  contrasted. 

Xow  it  is  in  the  latter  sense — the  sense  of  interior — • 
that  the  term  is  dominantly  used  in  the  writings  of  our 
author ;  and  as  our  aim  is  to  present  a  J^ew  Church  es- 
timate of  the  general  subject,  we  shall  not  scrujDle  to 
quote  freely  whatever  may  subserve  that  end.  JSTothing 
is  more  obvious  than  that  the  devotees  of  these  manifes- 
tations claim  to  be  spiritualists  excellence  and  our 
purpose  is  to  submit  these  claims  to  the  test.  We  shall 
perhaps  find  reason  in  the  end  to  doubt  whether  those 
i:)retensions  have  any  adequate  ground  to  rest  upon  ; 
which  is  but  saying,  in  other  words,  that  the  application 
of  the  term  iiseudo^  false,  in  this  connection,  will  fully 
justify  itself  in  the  result.  Tiie  following  paragraphs 
will  be  seen  to  be  to  the  point. 

"  What  the  spiritual  is  in  respect  to  the  natural,  is  further  to  be  told 
in  a  few  words,  because  the  most  of  those  who  are  in  the  Christian 
world,  are  ignorant  what  the  spiritual  is,  insomuch  that  when  they  hear 
the  expression,  they  hesitate,  and  say  with  themselves  that  no  one  knows 
what  spiritual  means.  The  spiritual  with  man  is,  in  its  essence,  the 
very  aflFection  of  good  and  truth  for  the  sake  of  good  and  truth,  and  not 
for  the  sake  of  self ;  also  the  affection  of  what  is  just  and  equitable  for 
the  sake  of  what  is  just  and  equitable,  and  not  for  the  sake  of  self; 
when  man  from  these  feels  in  himself  delight  and  pleasantness,  and  still 
more  if  he  feels  satisfaction  and  blessedness,  this  with  him  is  spiritual, 
which  does  not  come  from  the  natural  world,  but  from  the  spiritual,  or 
from  heaven,  that  is,  through  heaven  from  the  Lord.  This  then,  is  the 
spiritual  which,  when  it  reigns  with  man,  affects,  and,  as  it  were,  tinges 
everything  which  he  thinks,  which  he  wills  and  which  he  acts,  and 
causes  that  the  things  thought,  and  from  the  will  acted,  partake  of  the 
spiritual,  until  they  also  at  length  become  spiritual  with  him,  when  he 
passes  out  of  the  natural  world  into  the  spiritual.    In  a  word,  the  afiFec- 


266 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUAIJSM. 


t  ion  of  charity  and  faith,  that  is,  of  good  and  truth,  with  the  delight  and 
pleasantness  and  still  more  the  satisfaction  and  blessedness  thence,  which 
are  felt  interiorly  with  man,  and  make  him  a  truly  Christian  man,  is 
the  spiritual.  That  most  people  in  the  Christian  world  are  ignorant 
what  is  meant  by  the  spiritual,  is  because  they  make  faith  the  essential 
of  the  church,  and  not  charity :  hence,  inasmuch  as  those  few,  who  are 
solicitous  aboiit  faith,  think  little,  if  anything,  concerning  charity,  and 
know  little,  if  anything,  what  charity  is,  there  is  no  knowledge,  neither 
is  there  perception  of  the  affection  which  is  of  charity,  and  he  who  is 
not  in  the  affection  of  charity,  cannot  in  any  wise  know  what  is  spiritual ; 
so  it  is  especially  at  this  day,  when  scarcely  any  one  has  charity,  because 
it  is  the  last  time  of  the  Church.  But  it  is  to  be  known,  that  the  spirit- 
ual in  the  common  [or  general]  sense,  signifies  the  affection  both  of 
good  and  of  truth  whence  heaven  is  called  the  spiritual  world,  and  the 
internal  sense  of  the  Word  the  spiritual  sense ;  but  specifically  what 
is  of  the  affection  of  good  is  called  celestial ;  and  what  is  of  the  affection 
of  truth  is  called  spiritual."—^.  C.  5C39. 

"  It  may  be  expedient  briefly  to  explain  how  the  case  is  with  good 
in  which  are  truths  ;  he  who  knows  the  formation  of  good  from  truths, 
knows  the  veriest  arcana  of  heaven,  for  he  knows  the  arcana  of  the  for- 
mation of  man  anew,  that  is,  of  the  formation  of  heaven  or  the  Lord's 
kingdom  with  him  :  all  christian  good,  or  spiritual  good  hath  in  it  the 
truths  of  faith,  for  the  quality  of  that  good  is  from  the  truths  which 
are  of  faith  ;  the  good  which  hath  not  its  quality  from  the  truths  of 
faith,  is  not  christian  good,  but  is  natural  good,  which  doth  not  give 
eternal  life ;  the  reason  is,  because  natural  good  hath  in  it  only  natural 
life,  which  life  is  not  unlike  the  life  of  beasts,  for  they  also  are  in  good 
when  they  are  tame ;  but  beasts  cannot  receive  spiritual  life ;  hence  it  is 
evident  that  spiritual  life  is  only  acquired  by  the  truths  of  faith.  This 
life,  viz.,  spiritual  life,  is  first  acquired  by  knowing  the  truths  which  are 
of  faith,  afterwards  by  acknowledging  them,  and  at  length  by  believing 
them  ;  when  they  are  only  known,  they  are  then  as  it  were  in  the  door, 
when  they  are  acknowledged  they  are  then  in  the  outer  court,  but  when 
they  are  believed  they  are  then  in  the  bed-chamber,  thus  they  go  from 
the  exteriors  towards  the  interiors  successively  ;  in  the  interior  man  is 
the  good,  which  continually  flows  in  from  the  Lord,  and  there  conjoins 
itself  with  truths,  and  makes  them  to  be  faith,  and  next  to  be  charity ; 
this  good  attracts  truths  to  itself,  for  it  is  a  desire  to  them,  that  by 
them  it  may  procure  to  itself  a  quality,  and  thereby  exist." — A.  C.  8772. 

"  The  man  who  is  priuci])led  in  spiritual  good,  is  a  moral  man,  and 
a  civil  man  ;  and  the  man  who  is  not  principled  in  spiritual  good  is 
neither  a  moral  nor  a  civil  man,  but  only  appears  to  be  so  ;  though  he 
appears  to  be  so  both  to  himself  and  also  to  others.  The  reason  why  a 
man  who  is  not  spiritual,  can  still  think,  and  thence  discourse  rationally, 
like  a  spiritual  man,  is,  because  the  understanding  of  man  is  capable 
of  being  elevated  into  the  light  of  heaven,  which  is  truth,  and  of  seeing 


rSEDDO  SPIRITUALISM. 


267 


by  that  light ;  but  it  is  possible  for  the  will  of  man  not  to  be  elevated 
in  like  manner  into  the  heat  of  heaven,  -which  is  love,  and  act  under  its 
influence.  Hence  it  is  that  truth  and  love  do  not  make  a  one  with 
man,  unless  it  be  spiritual  :  hence  also  it  is  that  man  can  exercise  his 
faculty  of  speech  ;  this  likewise  forms  a  ground  of  distinction  between 
man  and  beast.  It  is  owing  to  the  understanding  being  capable  of 
elevation  to  heaven  without  an  elevation  of  the  will  at  the  same  time 
that  man  has  the  capacity  of  being  reformed,  and  of  becoming  spiritual : 
but  he  never  is  reformed  and  rendered  spiritual  until  the  will  is  elevated 
also.  By  virtue  of  this  faculty,  enjoyed  by  the  understanding  above 
that  of  the  will,  man  is  capable' of  thinking  rationally,  and  thence  of  dis- 
coursing rationally,  like  one  that  is  spiritual,  whatsoever  be  his  nature 
and  quality,  even  though  he  be  principled  in  evil :  nevertheless,  it  does 
not  hence  follow  that  he  is  rational ;  and  the  reason  is  because  the  un- 
derstanding does  not  lead  the  will,  but  the  will  the  understanding,  the 
latter  only  teaching  and  pointing  out  the  way  :  and  so  long  as  the  will 
is  not,  with  the  understanding,  in  heaven,  the  man  is  not  spiritual,  and 
consequently  not  rational :  for  when  he  is  left  to  his  own  will,  or  to  his 
own  love,  then  he  rejects  the  rational  conclusions  of  his  understanding 
concerning  God,  concerning  heaven,  and  concerning  eternal  life  ;  and 
assumes  in  their  place  such  conclusions  as  are  in  agreement  with  the 
love  of  his  will,  and  calls  them  rational." — Boc.  of  Life,  14,  15. 

"  From  these  considerations  it  results,  that  there  does  not  appertain 
to  man  the  smallest  portion  of  truth,  only  so  far  as  he  is  principled  in 
good  ;  consequently  not  the  smallest  portion  of  faith,  only  so  far  as  it 
is  conjoined  with  life.  There  may  be  such  a  thing  as  thought,  respect- 
ing the  truth  of  some  particular  proposition,  in  the  understanding ;  but 
there  cannot  be  acknowledgment  amounting  to  faith,  unless  there  be 
consent  in  the  will.  Thus  do  faith  and  life  go  hand  in  baud.  Hence, 
then,  it  is  evident,  that  so  far  as  any  one  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far  he 
has  faith,  and  is  spiritual." — Ih.  52. 

From  all  this  we  can  hardly  fail  to  perceive  what  is  im- 
plied by  one's  being  a  truly  spiritual  man.  He  is  one 
who  is  imbued  with  genuine  truths,  and  those  truths  he 
is  continually  intent  upon  reducing  to  life,  which  is  iu 
effect  converting  them  into  good.  Ihe  simple  belief  that 
there  is  a  spiritual  world,  the  abode  of  spirits  disembodied 
of  clay,  and  that  they  are  enabled,  through  physical  agen- 
cies to  communicate  with  the  inhabitants  of  earth,  does 
by  no  means  necessarily  constitute  a  genuine  spirituality 
in  any  one.  So  far  from  this,  it  is  rather  a  peculiar  phasis 
of  naturalism,  for  the  mere  knowledge  of  spiritual  exist- 
ence, however  profound  its  arcana,  does  not  of  itself  as- 


268 


PSEUDO-SPIEITTTAMSM. 


cencl  higher  than  the  natural  degree.  'Nor  do  we  feel 
disposed  to  qualify  this  language  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  many  of  this  school  take  a  decided  stand  against  the 
materialism  and  sensualism  of  the  age,  contrasting  it  with 
the  more  elevated  and  sublimated  tone  of  tlieir  own  sen- 
timents. For  in  all  this  there  may  still  be  no  more  than 
the  workings  of  the  natural  man. 

Undoubtedly  a  charge  of  some  seriousness  is  involved  in 
this  position,  and  it  is  incumbent  npon  us  to  make  it  good 
by  a  direct  appeal  to  the  uttered  oracles  which  pass  current 
in  the  school  of  the  soi  disant  spiritualists  of  the  present 
day.  From  a  tolerably  familiar  acquaintance  with  the 
issues  of  the  press  referring  themselves  to  this  origin,  we 
are  satisfied  that,  as  a  general  fact,  they  are  utterly  wide 
of  the  truth  on  a  variety  of  points  which  the  ISTewchurch- 
mau  is  taught  to  regard  as  all  important  among  the  ele- 
ments which  go  to  constitute  a  genuine  spirituality.  It 
will,  we  trust,  be  distinctly  understood  that  in  uttering 
ourselves  on  the  subject  under  consideration  our  stand- 
point is  that  of  the  Church  of  the  I^ew  Jerusalem.  "We 
take  for  granted  the  entire  truth  of  its  revelations,  and 
cherish  not  the  least  scruple  in  making  them  the  standard 
by  which  everything  of  a  professedly  spiritual  nature  is 
to  be  tried.  We  foresee  of  course,  that  this  will  be  charg- 
ed as  a  gratuitous  assumption — that  the  demand  will  be 
superciliously  made,  what  grounds  we  have  for  yielding 
such  implicit  deference  to  the  authority  of  Swedenborg 
— that  palpable  insinuations  of  bigotry  and  sectarianism 
will  be  thrown  out — but  all  this  moves  us  not.  We  are 
not  penning  a  controversial  article.  We  are  not  urging 
the  claims  of  a  rival  revelation.  We  are  not  seeking  to 
make  converts  of  those  whose  delusions  we  are  aiming  to 
expose.  We  know  too  well  the  strength  of  that  self-deriv- 
ed intelligence  which  fortifies  them  against  doubt,  to  sup- 
pose that  our  position  will  gain  the  slightest  respect  in 
their  minds.  In  fact  we  do  not  write  for  them.  We  do 
not  expect  them  to  read  our  strictures,  and  therefore 
pay  no  attention  to  their  foreseen  objections.  We 
write  for  those  who  sympathise  with  us  in  a  perfect 


PSEUDO-SPIRIT  CJALISM. 


269 


assurance  of  the  solidity  of  the  ground  on  which  we 
stand — wlio  know,  on  this  head,  what  no  others  can  know 
who  have  not  shared  their  investigations.  We  would 
fain  present  to  them,  if  possible,  the  data  on  which  an 
adequate  judgment  is  to  be  formed  of  a  remarkable  class 
of  facts  and  a  deplorable  train  of  consequences  which  are 
widely  passing  under  their  eyes.  Our  researches  may 
have  put  documents  and  deductions  in  our  way  which 
have  never  occurred  to  them,  and  which  they  would  still 
value.  It  is  their  behoof  that  we  consult  in  the  discussion. 
We  would  furnish  them  with  materials  for  forming  an  en- 
lightened judgment  themselves,  and  at  the  same  time  ena- 
ble them  to  withstand  the  tendency  of  the  times  to  mix  up 
these  strange  phenomena  with  the  teachings  and  tidings 
of  the  New  Dispensation,  as  if  every  species  of  spiritual 
or  psychical  abnormalism  were  to  find  a  home  in  its 
bosom.  Let  this,  then,  be  our  apology,  or  rather  our  rea- 
son, for  the  positive  tone  which  speaks  out  in  the  whole 
drift  of  our  remarks.  We  are  addressing  those  who  do 
not  require  that  we  should  be  perpetually  laying  down  or 
laying  open  the  foundations  of  our  faith. 

1.  At  the  head  of  all  the  falsities  which  emanate  from 
this  source,  is  the  denial  of  our  Lord's  true  and  essential 
divinity.  With  scarcely  an  exception  that  has  come  to 
our  knowledge,  the  genuine  doctrine  of  the  incarnation  is 
denied  or  ignored,  and  Christ  is  represented  as  merely  a 
noble  specimen  of  humanitj^,  the  delicicB  cjeneris  humani, 
the  appointed  medium  through  whom  some  impres- 
sive ideas  of  the  divine  perfections  might  be  most  effect- 
ually conveyed.  The  view,  at  the  highest,  is  simply  hu- 
manitarian. An  exalted  and  model  manhood  is  the  nc 
2>lu8  ultra  of  its  ascription  to  Him  whom  the  Christian  is 
tauglit  to  recognize  as  the  veritable  Jehovah  tabernacling 
for  a  season  in  human  flesh,  and  then  dissolving  again, 
60  to  speak,  into  the  essential  Godhead,  so  that  he  now 
exists  solely  in  his  Divine  Human  nature,  no  longer  sep- 
arated from  the  Father.  How  vast  the  contrast  between 
this  and  the  Christology  of  the  so-styled  spiritualists  will 
be  evident  from  the  following  extracts  from  their  publi- 


270 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


cations.  It  will  be  borne  in  mind,  we  trust,  that  we  are 
giving  the  ipsissima  verha  of  the  spirits  through  their 
chosen  mediums. 

"  It  was  this  profound  interest  and  intense  excitement  among  the  peo- 
ple which  gave  birth  to  the  idea  that  Christ  was  a  super-human  and 
divine  personage,  and  which  originally  produced  the  present  prevailing 
opinion  that  he  was,  in  a  strict  and  literal  sense,  the  Son  of  God. 
Spirits  perceive  the  true  relation  which  this  remarkable  individual 
sustained  to  the  human  race,  and  they  see  that  he  was  in  every  sense  a 
MAN — a  man  more  perfect,  more  harmoniously  constituted,  and  more 
richly  endowed  than  others,  but  still  a  human  being.  They  perceive 
the  mission  which'  this  person  was  selected  to  perform  on  earth,  and 
they  see  that  he  was  chosen  and  employed  as  a  great  medium  for  the 
illustration  of  spiritual  power  and  the  transmission  of  spiritual  truth. 
They  perceive,  also,  the  true  agency  by  which  the  miraculous  works, 
which  astonished  the  people,  were  performed,  and  they  see  that  in  every 
instance  of  superhuman  power — in  every  woi-k 'which  the  people  could 
not  reconcile  with  established  laws,  there  dwelt  the  superintending  and 
ever  active  energy  of  the  angel-world.  Thus  were  all  the  miracles 
which  Christ  performed  during  his  residence  in  the  body  to  be  at- 
tributed to  the  direct  and  special  influence,  not  of  God,  but  of  sphit- 
ual  beings  who  lingered  ever  near  to  minister  through  him  to  the 
spiritual  wants  of  man  ;  and  in  the  whoFe  life  and  ministry  of  this  in- 
dividual, may  the  children  of  men  read  the  evidences  of  heavenly 
power  and  the  interposition  of  angelic  spirits,  which  have  been  already, 
and  will  be  in  a  still  higher  degree,  manifested  to  the  present  age." — 
Spirit  Messenger,  p.  94. 

"  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  be  a  savior  of  sinners.  He 
was  not  God  manifested  in  the  flesh,  neither  was  he  the  son  of  God  in 
a  literal  sense,  but  by  adoption  and  grace ;  and  in  that  sense  he  was 
indeed  the  beloved  Son  of  God.  But  the  question  may  arise  in  your 
mind,  how  can  he  be  a  savior  of  sinners  if  you  look  on  him  in  that 
light  ?  We  will  try  to  explain  in  a  few  words  to  you  what  the  mean- 
ing of  savior  is.  St.  James  in  his  epistle  says,  that  he  that  converteth 
a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  ways  shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and 
hide  a  multitude  of  sins.  And  can  you  call  that  man  any  thing  else 
but  a  savior,  who  is  willing  to  give  up  every  comfort  and  become  a 
gazing  stock,  and  meet  the  scorn  and  reproach,  and  the  contempt  and 
sneers  of  a  gainsaying  world,  and  who  is  willing  even  to  be  persecuted 
to  death  if  he  can  only  persuade  sinners  to  forsake  their  evil  ways  and 
turn  to  God.  We  would  refer  you  to  the  history  of  by-gone  ages.  Do 
you  not  read  in  the  Bible  that  God  raised  up  saviors  and  sent  them 
among  the  J ews  ?  And  in  every  age  of  the  world  has  not  God  raised 
up  men  whose  only  object  was  to  save  souls  ?  And  is  not  he  who 
devotes  his  tima,  his  talents,  and  his  all  to  the  salvation  of  his  fellow 


PSEDDO-SPEBITTTALISM. 


271 


man,  a  savior?  Was  not  Noah,  the  preacher  of  righteousness,  a 
savior  ?  Did  he  not  try,  year  after  year,  with  tears  and  entreaties, 
to  persuade  his  fellow-men  to  turn  to  God?  And  many  arc  now  high 
in  glory  whom  he  was  instrumental  of  saving.  And  did  not  Jonah 
prove  "himself  to  be  a  savior  to  Nineveh,  when  the  city  of  Nineveh 
was  devoted  to  destruction,  unless  they  listened  to  the  warning  voice  of 
the  prophet." — Creation  of  the  World  and  Life  of  Chriat,  dictated  by 
the  Spirit  of  Wilbraham,  p.  40. 

"  At  the  appointed  time  Christ  was  born  ;  but  he  was  not  begotten  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  neither  did  the  power  of  the  Highest  overshadow  her, 
only  as  it  overshadows  all  who  walk  before  him  with  a  perfect  heart. 
He  was  the  natural  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary.  The  account  that  is 
given  of  the  conception  of  Christ  in  the  New  Testament  is  blasphem- 
ous ;  and  then  to  teach  men  that  it  is  the  word  of  God  is  a  sin  of  no 
small  magnitude.  Is  it  a  small  matter  to  thi-ow  such  insults  on  the 
God  of  spotless  purity  ?  Is  it  nothing  to  throw  such  insults  on  the 
glorious  character  of  the  beneficent  Creator  of  mankind  ?  As  spkits 
who  seek  yoyr  good,  we  beseech  you  to  grope  in  darkness  no  longer, 
but  open  your  eyes  to  the  truth.  It  would  be  no  interest  to  glorified 
spirits  to  deceive  you.  If  you  could  see  with  what  willingness  they 
leave  their  bright  abodes  of  unutterable  glory,  and  descend  to  earth 
amidst  its  filth  and  corruption,  in  order  that  its  inhabitants  may  be  de- 
livered fi'om  the  cruel  bondage  of  error  and  superstition,  and  in  order 
that  the  glorious  character  of  God  may  be  rightly  understood,  you 
would  at  once  banish  all  your  fears." — Id.  p.  45. 

"  You  need  not  persuade  yourself  that  Christ  possessed  something 
that  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  posses^s,  for  if  you  do  you  arc  mistaken  ; 
for  Christ  was  nothing  more  than  a  man.  If  your  life  was  in  accord- 
ance with  the  doctrines  he  taught,  you  might  enjoy  the  same  blessings, 
If  you  denied  yourself  in  the  same  manner  that  he  did,  and  fasted,  and 
prayed,  and  mourned,  and  wept,  and  exerted  yourself  as  he  did.  In 
short,  if  you  possessed  the  heartfelt  piety  and  disinterested  benevolence 
that  he  possessed,  you  might  work  miracles  the  same  as  he  did,  for  God 
is  the  same  in  all  ages  of  the  world.  Christ  was  enabled  to  work  his 
miracles  through  the  power  of  the  spirit  of  his  heavenly  Father.  It 
was  not  because  he  was  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  or  because  he  was 
begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  No,  it  was  because  he  led  a  life  of  spot- 
less purity  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  He  was  spotless,  innocent, 
and  pure,  and  free  from  every  stain." — hi.  p.  G7. 

These  extracts  are  mostly  from  a  work  which  bears  on 
its  title  that  it  is  "  to  be  read  as  for  eternity,"  but  what 
spe-jial  claim  it  has  to  this  solemn  style  of  reading  may 
be  inferred  from  the  foct,  that  it  is  said  to  be  composed 


272 


PSEUDO-SPIEITUALISM. 


"  by  the  spirits  of  Swedenhorg,  "Wilbrabam,  Stuart,  aud 
Lovell."  We  are  well  aware  that  multitudes  of  those 
who  think  highly  of  the  "manifestations"  would  by  no 
means  subscribe  to  the  bald  blasphemies  which  stand 
forth  on  nearly  every  page  of  this  work,  nor  do  we  intend 
to  impute  them  to  all  the  school,  but  we  are  confident  we 
do  them  no  wrong  in  the  assertion  that,  as  a  general  fact, 
the  tenet  of  the  Lord's  essential  divinity  is  decidedly  re- 
pudiated in  their  ranks.  Now  that  the  prevalent  denial 
on  this  head  is  inconsistent  with  a  genuine  spiritualism  is 
evident  from  what  follows : 

"  The  reason  why  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  in  the  Word  is  primari- 
ly understood  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Divine  in  his  Human 
Principle,  is,  because  all  things  of  love  and  faith  are  thence  derived  ; 
for  the  divine  goods  which  are  of  love,  aud  the  divine  truths  which  are 
of  faith,  proceed  from  no  other  source  than  from  the  Loi-d  alone;  and 
those  things  cannot  flow  into  man,  unless  he  thinks  of  the  Divine  Prin- 
ciple of  the  Lord  at  the  same  time  that  he  thinks  of  his  Human  ;  nor 
is  his  Divine  Principle  separate  from  the  Human,  but  is  in  the  Human. 
I  can  assert  from  all  my  experience  concerning  the  spiritual  world,  that 
no  one  is  principled  in  the  goods  of  love,  and  the  truths  of  faith,  but 
he  who  thinks  of  the  Divine  Principle  of  the  Lord  in  union  with  his 
Human,  as  also  that  no  one  is  spiritual,  or  an  angel,  but  he  who  had 
been  grounded  in  that  thought  and  acknowledgment  while  in  the  world. 
Man  ought  to  be  conjoined  to  the  Divine  Principle  in  his  faith  and 
love,  in  order  that  he  may  be  saved,  and  all  conjunction  is  with  the 
Lord ;  aud  to  be  conjoined  only  to  his  Human  Principle,  aud  not  at 
the  same  time  to  his  Divine,  is  not  conjunction,  for  the  Divine  Princi- 
ple saves,  but  not  the  human  without  the  Divine." — A.  E.  135. 

Abundant  intimations  to  the  same  effect  might  be  cited 
from  the  same  source,  which,  although  they  will  be  of 
little  weight  with  those  whom  they  mostly  concern,  will 
not  fail  to  be  decisive  with  the  man  of  the  church.  lie 
cannot  begin  to  conceive  of  a  truly  spiritual  man  who 
stumbles  at  this  stiimbling-stone  of  the  absolute  and 
essential  Deityship  of  the  Lord  the  Saviour. 

2.  An  utterly  disparaging  estimate,  if  not  a  contemptu- 
ous rejection  of  the  Divine  Word,  as  communicated  in 
the  Sacred  Scriptures,  is  another  distinctive  mark  of  the 
school  in  question.  Taking,  for  the  most  part,  their  cue 
from  Davis,  the  grand  Coryphaius  and  mystagogue  in 


P3KUD0-SPIKITUALTSM . 


273 


the  lengthening  line  of  Seers  and  Medinnis,  they  look 
upon  nature  as  the  only  authoritative  revelation.*  Upon 

*  We  give  in  this  connexion  an  extraut  from  Mr.  Arnol<J,  of  Poughkeep- 
sie,  purporting  to  come  from  "God's  high  and  holy  spirit,  JesiH  Christ, 
formerly  of  Nazareth,"  and  whom  a  recent  writer  in  the  "  Shekinah"  digni- 
fies with  the  denomination  of  "  Joshua  the  Seer,  commonly  known  as 
Jesus  of  Nazareth;"  forasmuch  as  "Joshua"  in  Hebrew  is  rendered 
"Jesus"  in  Greek,  while  the  aim  of  the  writer,  in  taking  away  the  peculiari- 
ty of  the  title,  is  to  degrade  him  to  the  level  of  mere  ordinary  humanity.  It 
will  be  seen  from  the  extract  that  a  very  grave  rebuke  is  read  out  to  poor, 
Davis  and  that  he  is  decidedly  put  upon  his  penitenlials.  As  the  spirit  that 
rules  in  Davisism  is  directly  at  variance  with  the  spirit  that  rules  in  Arnoldism, 
we  will  not  hazard  our  neutrality  by  undertaking  to  act  the  umpire  between 
them.  We  miy,  howtver,  hint  a  fear  that  there  is  too  much  ground  for  the 
spirits'  intimation  of  a  backsliding  in  Davis. 

"  I  called  myself  John,  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  not  because  that 
was  my  name  in  the  body,  but  because  my  servant  John,  acted  for  me  in 
writing  the  Book  of  Revelation,  and  united  with  me  in  explaining  now, 
what  then  he  did  not  fully  understand.  Besides,  he  is  a  high  son  of  God, 
being  in  the  Sixth  circle,  of  the  Sixth  sphere.  He  is  a  noble  spirit,  who 
delights  to  serve  God,  and  who  did  revtal  himself  to  my  clairvoyant  spirit, 
Davis,  when  he  was  submissive  to  the  dhcctions  he  received  as  a  clairvoy- 
ant, and  was  content  to  follow  thorn,  without  ambition  or  sordid  desires. 
But  his  unity  with  him  ceased,  wheu  Davis  left  the  control  of  himself  to 
men  of  other  motives,  and  it  can  ucv^cr  be  renewed  whilst  he  continues  in 
his  present  state  of  rebellion.  It  is  true,  that  I  permit  him  to  write  many 
truths,  and  that  I  allow  spirits  in  the  first,  second,  and  third  spheres  to  in- 
fluence, or  direct  him,  but  they  are  not  allowed  to  declare,  even  all  they 
know  of  me,  to  him  ;  because  he  rebels  against  my  authority,  and  seeks  to 
elevate  wisdom  above  love,  and  will  above  action.  The  only  way  for  him 
to  become  a  truthful  medium,  is  to  return  to  the  subjection  he  was  first  in 
to  the  Divine  John  ;  and  he  can  only  do  that  by  returning  to  the  state  from 
which  he  departed  when  he  left  niy  servant,  Livingston's,  management. 
Because,  in  that  management,  he  wis  kept  in  subjection  to  the  interior, 
and  holy  directions  he  received  in  his  clairvoyant  and  unconscious  state. 
Whcreis,  since,  ho  has  been  u?ed  in  the  will  of  those  around  him,  until  he 
was  permitted  to  use  himself  in  his  own  will.  His  impressions  have  been 
overruled  to  bo  a  benefit,  and  a  foundation  for  belief  to  many.  They  have 
been  so  guided  as  to  be  the  means  of  releasing  many  from  bondage  to  tra- 
dition, and  from  worship  ofiJols  of  flesh  ;  which  men  have  delighted  to  wor- 
ship, ever  since  the  foundation  of  the  error,  or  heresy,  which  was  laid  in  the 
apostolic  times,  referred  to  in  my  relation  through  John  the  Divine.  This 
will  surprise  many  who  have  almost  begun  to  worship  Davis,  and  others, 
who  have  honored  him  as  a  guide.  Many  spiritual  believers,  too,  will  say, 
how  can  it  be  that  he  is  wrong,  when  so  many  spirits  have  by  outward 
declarations,  through  rappings,  and  writings,  asserted  that  his  works  were 
in  the  main,  true;  and,  that  believers  or  inquirers  should  read  them. 
This  was  because  the  works  of  Davis  lead  the  mind  to  repose  on  itself,  and 

24* 


274 


PSEUDO-SPIEITUALISM. 


this  string  the  faithful  are  perpetually  harping.  The  all- 
sufficiency  of  the  light  of  nature  to  meet  the  religious 
yearnings  and  aspirations  of  the  soul  is  a  point  of  most 
confident  assertion,  and  whatever  is  deficient  here  is 
made  up  in  the  direct  communications  from  the  supernal 
spheres,  which,  as  emanating  from  the  fountain-head  of 
truth,  are  of  course  entitled  to  serve  a  sujyersedeas  upon 
the  old  worn-out  and  by-gone  teacliings  of  Moses  and 
the  Prophets,  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles.  The  ordinary 
style  of  descanting  upon  this  subject  may  be  seen  from 
the  following  specimen  : 

"  For  loDg-  ages  in  the  past,  mankind  have  received  the  Bible  with 
the  most  profound  and  solemn  reverence.  They  have  looked  upon  it 
as  a  book  which  is  intrinsically  holy,  every  word  and  sentence  of  which 
are  the  result  of  a  direct  influx  from  the  Divine  Mind,  and  therefore 
authoritative  in  the  most  literal  and  unlimited  sense.  So  far  has  this 
reverence  for  the  Bible  extended,  that  individuals  whose  reason  and 
judgment  were  not  sufficiently  blinded  to  receive  all  its  teachings,  have 
been  denominated  inQdels  and  hoi'ctics,  and  have  been  treated  as  the 
vilest  sinners,  by  those  vrliosc  I'.'.illi  in  the  writings  of  this  book  has 
rendered  them  professedly  holy,  'i'he  Bible  has  thus  been  made 
the  standard,  immoveable  and  lixed,  for  all  thought  and  action,  with 
reference  to  subjects  of  morals  o.-  religion.  This  has  been  regarded  as 
the  book  which  God  has  given  to  the  world  as  an  exprossionof  his  will, 
and  as  a  revelation  of  the  destiny  which  he  has  designed  for  his  crea- 
tures. In  this,  it  has  been  supposed,  is  contained  the  records  of  truth 
which  are  unmarred  and  unsullied  by  any  admixture  of  earthly  error, 
and  have  their  original  source  in  the  great  vortex  of  life  and  love, 
which  exists  in  the  inconceivable  depths  of  space.  According  to  the  pro- 
found, but  bigoted  emotions  of  1he  religionists  in  reference  to  this  book, 
the  minister  of  the  temple  has  made  this  a  basis  for  the  delivery  of 
lengthy  sermons  and  tedious  prayers  ;  and  in  correspondence  with  the 


disencumber  it  of  prejudice,  aud  leave  it  in  a  fit  state  to  receive  further  re- 
velation. It  is  a  great  step  gained,  when  the  mind,  in  the  body,  is  prepared 
to  receive  with  favor,  higher  and  further  revelation.  This  is  the  proper  eflFect 
of  Davis'  book;  and  I  can  assure  all  that  no  believer  in  the  Bible,  as 
founded  on  revelation,  has  ever  been  led  out  of  that  belief,  by  anything  that 
Davis  has  written  ;  no  believer  in  the  efiicacy  of  prayer  has  ever  ceased  to 
believe  in  it,  or  refrained  from  it,  because  he  has  declared  it  cannot  move 
or  affect  the  Deity."— ^fistor;/  of  the  Origin  of  All  Things,  p.  63. 

We  suspect  the  spirit  has  rather  too  charitable  an  opinion  of  the  work  in 
question  on  this  latter  score.  At  any  rate,  if  it  has  not  produced  the  efifect 
asserted,  it  is  owing  to  no  lack  of  tendency  in  his  volume  to  do  it. 


PSEUDO-SPmrnTALISM. 


275 


commands  which  are  enjoined,  the  people  attend  to  the  external  forms 
of  worship,  communion,  and  baptism,  as  the  means  of  saving  their  souls 
from  hell.  The  superstitions  which  belong  to  the  past  have  thus  been 
brought  into  the  sphere  of  the  present  age,  and  the  mass  are  willing  to 
be  bound  and  crushed  by  those  burdening  chains  which  have  been 
placed  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all  past  generations." — Ambler's 
Spiritual  Teacher,  p.  39. 

'■  As  a  consequence  of  this  view  of  the  subject  which  has  been  gra- 
dually fastened  upon  the  human  mind,  the  Bible  has  been  set  up  as 
an  authority  ;  it  has  been  appealed  to  as  a  true  and  reliable  standard 
of  thought  on  all  subjects  which  pertain  to  the  interests  of  man — and 
has  been  leaned  upon  as  an  infallible  statement  of  truth  which  requires 
the  most  implicit  and  unreasoning  confidence,  in  view  of  the  most  ter- 
rible penalty  which  is  attached  to  a  want  of  faith  in  its  divine  origin." 
—Id.  p.  41. 

"  The  reverence  for  the  Bible  which  has  been  the  ruling  sentiment 
of  human  hearts — which  has  cramped  and  restricted  all  the  free  and 
noble  faculties  of  the  soul,  has  had  its  sway  upon  the  earth  for  ages 
past,  and  it  is  now  time  that  this  should  be  removed  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  principle  which  is  more  worthy  of  the  dignity  of  man,  and 
more  consonant  with  the  design  of  God.  It  has  been  seen  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Spirit-world,  that  the  authority  of  the  Bible  has  been 
the  chief  and  prominent  source  of  all  bigotry  and  superstition  ;  it  has 
been  seen  that  this  has  been  the  prolific  fountain  of  all  the  sects  and 
creeds  which  have  cast  their  darkening  shadow  upon  the  face  of  humani- 
ty ;  it  has  been  seen  that  this  is  the  primary  cause  of  all  the  narrow- 
mindedness,  all  the  contraction  of  thought,  and  all  the  blind  devotion 
to  human  systems  of  faith,  which  have  been,  and  are  still,  conspicuous 
features  of  the  world's  history." — Id.  p.  42. 

"  What  has  been  the  real  effect  of  the  authority  with  which  this 
book  has  been  endowed  ?  The  spirits  have  seen  this  influence  and  this 
effect,  and  they  will  answer  the  inquiry  which  they  have  made.  They 
have  seen  that,  through  the  devotion  which  has  been  paid  to  the  sup- 
posed word  of  God,  the  reason  of  man  has  been  left  unexercised  and 
uuexpanded  :  they  have  seen  that,  from  this  cause,  all  the  most  exalted 
powers  of  the  soul  have  remained  weak  and  unimproved ;  and  they 
have  seen  that  in  consequence  of  a  rigid  adherence  to  the  standard 
presented  in  the  popular  oracles  of  faith,  the  soul  has  been  restricted 
to  the  narrow  limits  of  creeds  which  bear  no  assimilation  with  the  all- 
expanding  truths  of  the  Universe,  and  no  relation  to  the  bright  reali- 
ties of  Heaven.  Thus  the  influence  and  effect  which  have  flowed  from 
the  authority  of  the  Bible  have  been  of  the  most  deleterious  charac- 
ter, tending  to  degrade  rather  than  to  elevate,  to  confine  rather  than 
to  expand,  and  to  crush  and  destroy  rather  than  to  ennoble  and  save." 
—Id.  pp.  43,  44. 


276 


PSEUDOSPIKITUALISM. 


Having  by  this  sumniary  process  put  an  extinguisher 
on  the  Bible  as  a  veritable  and  authoritative  revelation 
from  God,  the  "spirits"  proceed,  in  the  plentitude  of 
their  condescension,  to  point,  as  with  index-finger,  to 
that  truer,  purer,  more  reliable  revelation  which  forms 
the  theme  of  so  much  eulogy  and  glorification  on  the 
part  of  their  earthly  disciples. 

"  But  there  is  a  revelation  of  the  Divine  Mind — there  is  a  word  of 
God,  which  is  superior  to  all  that  finite  minds  can  impart  or  conceive  ; 
and  this  is  a  revelation  which  must  be  regarded  with  the  reverence 
which  is  true  and  just ;  it  is  a  revelation  which  will  call  forth  the  in- 
herent energies  of  the  soul  in  the  direction  of  its  Divine  Author.  The 
revelation  to  which  the  spirits  here  refer,  is  the  Creation  which  has 
been  introduced  into  being  through  the  action  of  the  Supreme  Intelli- 
gence ; — it  is  the  Universe  which  is  the  natural  and  untranslated 
expression  of  the  Infinite  Mind.  No  rational  individual  can  doubt 
that  this  is  the  real  and  infallible  production  of  the  Deity ;  and  no 
mind  which  will  exercise  the  powers  of  which  it  is  possessed,  can  be 
disposed  to  deny  that  the  scriptures  of  earth  and  heaven  are  the  only 
true  and  direct  revelation  which  has  ever  been  given  to  his  intelligent 
children." — Id.  p.  51. 

The  apotheosis  of  nature  is  here  complete.  The  Uni- 
verse and  its  Author  are  made  to  change  places,  and  the 
Bible  goes  into  abeyance  forever.  Its  pages  may  an- 
swer for  lining  trunks  and  bandboxes,  but  as  a  vehicle  of 
heavenly  truth  they  are  of  no  farther  account. 

How  remote  is  this  from  the  estimate  which  the  man 
of  the  New  Church  is  taugiit  to  form  of  the  written 
Word  will  be  ajiparent  from  the  following  paragraphs  : 

"  The  Lord  is  present  and  in  conjunction  with  man  through  the 
Word,  seeing  that  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  and,  as  it  were,  converses  in 
it  with  man,  because  the  Lord  is  Divine  Truth  itself,  and  the  Word  is 
Divine  Truth  also.  From  hence  it  plainly  appears  that  the  Lord  is 
present  with  man,  and  in  conjunction  with  him,  according  to  his  under- 
standing of  the  Word :  for  according  to  it,  man  has  truth,  and  fi-om 
thence  faith,  and  also  love,  and  thence  life." — D.  C.  S.  S.  78. 

"  All  science  and  doctrine  of  good  and  truth  is  derived  from  the 
Word.  The  natural  man  may  indeed  know,  and  also  perceive,  what  is 
good  and  true,  but  only  natural  and  civil  good  and  truth  ;  he  cannot 
know  what  spiritual  good  and  truth  is,  for  the  knowledge  of  this  can 
only  come  from  revelation,  or  from  the  Word." — A.  C.  3768. 


PSErDO-SriRinjALISM. 


277 


"  "Without  the  "VVord  no  one  would  have  any  knowledge  of  God,  or  of 
Heaven,  or  Hell,  or  of  a  life  after  death,  and  much  less  of  the  Lord. 
But  there  are  persons  who  insist,  and  confirm  themselves  in  the  opinion 
that  man,  without  the  "Word,  might  know  the  existence  of  a  God,  and 
likewise  of  heaven  and  hell,  with  other  points  which  the  "Word  teaches, 
and  who  by  that  means,  derogate  from  the  authority  and  holiness  of 
the  "Word,  if  not  with  their  mouth,  yet  in  their  heart ;  and  it  would 
not  be  proper  to  reason  with  such  persons  from  the  "Word,  but  from 
the  natural  light  of  reason,  for  they  do  not  believe  the  "Word  but 
themselves." 

He  then  institutes  a  course  of  powerful  argument 
founded  upon  the  dictates  of  natural  reason,  going  to 
shovr  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  written  revelation  to 
impart  any  just  knowledge  of  spiritual  and  divine  things. 
See  the  Treatise  entitled  "  The  Doctrine  of  the  JV.  J. 
concerning  the  Sacred  Scriptures"  115.  In  the  same 
vein  are  the  following  passages  from  other  portions  of 
the  writings. 

'■  By  not  cursing  God  is  signified  not  to  blaspheme  Truth  Divine, 
and  by  not  execrating  the  prince  is  signified  not  to  blaspheme  the  doc- 
trine of  truth.  Truth  Divine  is  the  "Word,  and  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church  is  truth  thence  derived.  It  is  allowed  briefly  to  say  how  the 
case  is  with  the  blasphemation  of  Truth  Divine.  Truth  Divine  is  the 
Word  and  is  doctrine  derived  from  the  Word  ;  they  who  deny  these 
things  in  heart,  blaspheme,  although  with  the  mouth  they  praise  the 
Word  and  preach  it.  In  the  denial  lies  concealed  the  blasphemy, 
which  also  bursts  forth  when  they  are  left  to  themselves  and  think, 
especially  in  the  other  life,  for  their  hearts  speak,  things  external 
being  removed.  They  who  blaspheme  or  deny  the  Word,  are  incapa- 
ble of  receiving  anything  of  the  truth  and  good  of  faith,  for  the 
Word  teaches  that  the  Lord  is,  that  heaven  and  hell  are,  that  there  is 
a  life  after  death,  that  faith  and  charity  are,  and  several  other  things, 
which  without  the  Word  or  revelation  would  not  be  at  all  known  ; 
wherefore  they  who  deny  the  Word,  are  incapable  of  receiving  any- 
thing which  the  Word  teaches,  for  when  they  read  it  or  hear  it,  a  ne- 
gative principle  occurs,  which  either  extinguishes  truth,  or  turns  it 
into  what  is  false.  Wherefore  with  the  man  of  the  Church  the  first  of 
all  principles  is  to  believe  the  Word,  and  this  is  the  primary  principle 
with  him  who  is  in  the  truth  of  foith  and  the  good  of  charity  ;  but  with 
those  who  are  in  the  evils  of  self-love  and  the  love  of  the  world,  the 
primary  principle  is  not  to  believe  the  Word,  for  they  reject  it  in- 
stantly when  they  think  about  it,  and  they  also  blaspheme  it.  If  a 
man  saw  how  great  blasphemies  against  the  Word  appertain  to  those 
who  are  in  the  evils  of  the  above  loves,  and  what  is  the  quality  of 


278 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


those  blasphemies,  he  would  be  struck  with  horror  :  the  man  himself, 
during  his  abode  in  the  world,  does  not  know  it,  because  they  lie  con- 
cealed behind  the  ideas  of  the  active  thought,  which  passes  off  into 
speech  with  men ;  nevertheless  they  are  revealed  in  the  other  life,  and 
appear  dreadful."—^.  C.  9222. 

So  in  the  exposition  of  the  Apocalypse  where  it  is  said 
of  the  New  Jerusalem  that  it  had  no  need  of  the  light 
of  the  sun  or  the  moon,  but  that  the  glory  of  God  doth 
lighten  it,  it  is  said  that, 

"  This  signifies  that  the  men  of  that  church  will  not  be  principled 
in  self-love  and  self-derived  intelligence,  and  thence  in  natural  light 
alone,  but  in  spiritual  light,  by  virtue  of  the  Divine  Truth  of  the 
Word  derived  from  the  Lord  alone." — A.  R.  919. 

By  the  glory  of  God  is  signified  the  Word  in  its  divine  light.  By  its 
light  is  signified  the  Divine  Truth  therein,  for  this  is  meant  by  light  in 
the  Word."— ^.  R.  897. 

This,  then,  is  the  light  by  which  the  men  of  the  ISTew 
Chui'ch  are  to  walk,  and  they  at  least  may  be  expected 
to  rate  at  its  true  value  that  deceitful  and  sophistical 
lumen, 

"  Which  leads  to  bewilder,  and  dazzles  to  blind." 

Assuredly  no  one  can  adopt  those  specious  rationalistic 
fallacies,  of  which  we  have  given  such  striking  specimens 
above,  without  turning  his  back  upon  the  splendor  of  the 
Celestial  City,  and  plunging  himself  into  the  darkness, 
mists,  and  mazes  of  a  philosophy  as  remote  from  truth  as 
is  hell  from  heaven.  Indeed,  the  tendency  of  this  self- 
vaunting  naturalism,  in  its  contemptuous  estimate  -of  re- 
velation, is  clearly  depicted  in  what  is  said  of  the  lot  of 
its  votaries  in  the  other  life. 

"  There  are  some  who,  in  the  life  of  the  body,  had  despised  the 
Word,  and  some  who,  by  a  ludicrous  application  of  Scripture  phrases 
in  common  discourse,  had  abused  it ;  some,  too,  who  had  imagined  the 
Word  to  be  of  no  consequence  but  to  keep  the  vulgar  in  awe  ;  some 
who  had  blasphemed  the  Word,  and  some  who  had  profiined  it.  The 
lot  of  these  in  the  other  life  is  miserable  ;  of  every  one  according  to  the 
quality  and  degree  of  his  contempt,  derision,  blasphemy,  and  profana- 


PSEUDO-SPIKITtTALISM. 


279 


tiou.  For  the  Word  is  esteemed  so  holy  in  the  heavens,  that  it  is,  as 
it  were,  licaven  to  those  that  dwell  there  ;  wherefore,  as  in  the  other 
life,  there  is  a  communion  of  the  thoughts  of  all,  it  is  not  possible  for 
such  spirits  to  be  in  company  with  the  angels,  but  they  arc  separated." 
—A.  C.  1878. 

This  of  course  will  be  scouted  as  idle  babbling  by  all 
those  who  pay  homage  to  the  more  reliable  rapping,  tip- 
ping, and  writing  communications  vouchsafed  in  modern 
times  to  mortals ;  but  those  for  whom  we  are  inditing 
these  suggestions  will  read  it  with  other  eyes.  "  He  that 
hath  a  dream  let  him  tell  a  dream ;  but  he  that  hath  my 
word,  let  him  declare  my  word."  "  What  is  the  chaff  to 
the  wlieat?-' 

We  had  proposed,  at  the  onset,  to  prosecute  the  sub- 
ject before  us  under  a  variety  of  other  heads,  showing  ttp 
the  falsities  of  the  Spiritual  School — the  New  Philosophy 
— the  Harmonial  Brotherhood — or  whatever  else  it  may 
be  called — as  it  respects  the  Eternity  of  the  Hells,  the 
Doctrine  of  Progression,  and  several  other  items  which 
figure  largely  in  the  general  system.  But  we  find  to  our 
regret  that  such  inroads  on  our  available  space  have  been 
already  made  that  we  must  of  necessity  forego  our  ori- 
ginal plan,  as  we  are  unwilling  to  carry  over  any  series 
of  articles  to  the  next  volume,  which  we  would  com- 
mence with  "  clean  papers."  Some  few  remarks  on  the 
general  theme  will  conclude  the  whole. 

Our  admission  of  the  truth  of  the  phenomenon,  i.  e.. 
the  truth  of  its  spiritual  origin,  has  been  very  explicit. 
We  know  not  how  to  question  the  evidence  that  spirits 
do  in  fact  communicate  sensibly  with  men,  nor  would 
we  detract  aught  from  the  magnitude  of  the  marvel. 
Indeed,  we  esteem  it  as  par  emine?ice  the  most  astound- 
ing event  of  the  present  era.  We  regard  it  as  altogether 
worthy  the  attention  and  investigation  of  every  intelli- 
gent mind,  provided  such  minds  shall  not  prefer,  as  no 
doubt  many  in  the  New  Church  will,  to  take  the  main 
facts  upon  testimony,  and  not  trouble  themselves  with  a 
scrutiny  which  can  add  little  or  nothing  to  their  present 
convictions.  While  the  laws  of  psychology  prepare  them 


280 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


to  admit  substantially  the  great  averments  on  this  head, 
the  laws  of  order,  as  they  apprehend  them,  put  a  veto 
upon  their  being  enrolled  even  into  a  committee  of  in- 
quiry relative  to  the  fact,  or  the  mode  of  the  manifesta- 
tions. With  this  estimate  of  the  matter,  we  are  strongly 
inclined  to  side,  notwithstanding  we  have  embraced 
every  convenient  opportunity  to  investigate  thoroughly 
the  phenomena  for  ourselves.  We  have,  through  the 
courtesy  of  friends,  witnessed  it  under  the  most  auspi- 
cious cu'cumstances,  and  in  its  most  favorable  phases. 
Many  of  the  communications  to  which  we  have  listened 
have  been  of  a  very  interesting  character,  and  none  have 
given  token  of  being  prompted  by  a  decidedly  evil  or 
malign  class  of  spirits.  On  the  contrary,  their  enuncia- 
tions have  for  the  most  part  savored  of  kindness,  benevo- 
lence, hienfeasance,  and,  as  far  as  we  could  judge,  truth. 
But  then  we  have  never  allowed  ourselves  to  interrogate 
them  relative  to  religious  doctrines.  We  could  not  bring 
ourselves  to  do  in  act  what  would  imply  that  we  admitted 
for  a  moment  the  existence  of  any  higher  standard  of 
truth  than  we  had  always  recourse  to  in  the  revelations 
of  the  Word  and  of  the  New  Church.  Whatever  their 
response  on  this  head,  it  would  have  no  appreciable 
effect  upon  our  prior  convictions.  If  it  agreed  with  them, 
it  would  not  strengthen  our  assurance ;  if  it  conflicted 
with  them,  it  would  not  weaken  it.  What  motive,  then, 
could  we  have  for  consulting  such  an  oracle  on  such  a 
subject  ?  "  To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony ;  if  they 
speak  not  according  to  this  word,  there  is  no  light  in 
them." 

And  here  it  is  that  we  put  our  finger  upon  the  peccant 
point  of  the  whole  system  of  pseudo-spiritualism.  The 
devotees  of  the  Rappings,  as  a  general  fact,  have  no  ex- 
perience of  such  scruples  as  we  have  now  alluded  to. 
When  these  ultra-mundane  responses  rush  in  like  a  flood, 
there  seems  to  be  no  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  lift  up  a  stan- 
dard against  them.  They  are  received,  for  the  most  part, 
as  valid  oracles — as  the  voice  of  truth  from  its  inner 
sanctuary — and  the  result  is  that  they  are  suffered  to 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


281 


supersede  every  other  form  of  revelation,  and  carry  away 
the  faitli  captive  to  their  most  anti-christian  dicta.  It  is 
this  effect  that  we  are  more  especially  prompted  to  de- 
plore in  connection  with  the  "  manifestations."  It  is  not 
that  the  "  spirits"  discourse  nothing  but  falsities,  for  they 
do  doubtless  say  many  isolated  good  and  true  things ; 
but  it  is  the  fearful  ascendancy  which  they  are  allowed 
to  gain  over  the  minds  of  their  votaries,  and  which  goes 
so  far  to  neutralize  all  the  better  results  that  might  other- 
wise follow  from  a  marvel  so  astounding  to  the  natural 
and  the  worldly  mind  as  the  fact  of  intercourse  being 
actually  opened  between  the  visible  and  the  invisible 
spheres.  It  is  mournful  to  think  of  simple  and  well-dis- 
posed souls  being  so  grievously  deluded  by  the  claim  to  a 
pure  and  elevated  spiritualism,  when  in  fact  the  very  first 
rudiments  of  such  a  spiritualism  are  wanting.  Look  over 
the  multitudinous  array  of  "  peeping"  and  "  muttering" 
pamphlets,  professing  to  be  laden  with  the  burdens  of  the 
supernal  spheres,  and  where  do  you  find,  amidst  all  their 
canting  exhortations  to  "  harmony,"  and  a  certain  species 
of  goodishness^  the  utterance  of  one  single  remark  that 
goes  to  lay  open  the  intrinsic  nature  of  good,  to  show  its 
distinction  from,  and  yet  its  relation  to,  truth,  or  one 
gleam  of  light  thrown  upon  the  process  of  regeneration  ? 
For  ourselves  we  have  sought  it  in  vain,  as  also  in  vain  a 
circle  where  this  was  felt  to  be  any  particular  desidera- 
tum. Instead  of  the  vigorous  and  life-stirring  dogmas  of 
the  New  Dispensation  which  instruct  men  precisely  in 
what  they  need,  and  how  and  where  to  obtain  it,  we  are 
treated  from  this  source  with  page  after  page  ad  nauseam 
of  the  most  puling  and  maudlin  sentimentalisra,  of  which 
the  following  are  fair  specimens. 

"  From  the  Spirit  of  a  Mother  to  her  Son. — My  Dear  Son, — If  you 
want  to  process  you  must  let  your  mind  dwell  upon  the  beauties  of 
nature,  and  of  the  spirit  home.  The  contemplation  of  the  works  of  the 
Almighty  fills  the  mind  with  high  and  lofty  thoughts,  well  suited  to  an 
immortal  being  of  his  creation.  The  spirit  home  is  full  of  happiness  ; 
all  are  happy.  None  of  God's  creatures  are  doomed  to  be  miserable, 
but  to  enjoy  all  the  happiness  they  are  capable  of  doing.  This  is  espe- 
cially the  case  with  man.  While  he  is  on  the  earth  he  has  to  endure  some 
25 


282 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


trouble  and  paiu,  but  this  is  only  for  a  short  season,  and  during  that 
time  it  is  intermingled  with  a  much  greater  proportion  of  happiness. 
After  the  mortal  body  is  cast  off,  all  misery  and  paiu  are  cast  off  too. 
After  this  transition  takes  place,  the  spirit  is  introduced  into  a  delight- 
ful home,  surrounded  by  sweet  and  soothing  iuHueuces,  and  is  drawn 
up  into  communion  with  those  that  are  more  developed,  and  conse- 
quently higher  in  the  spirit-home  than  they.  It  is  thus  taught  and 
developed  by  the  most  pleasant  means,  and  progresses  from  circle  to 
circle.  All  progress— none  remain  where  they  enter— all  have  the 
same  chance  there.  There  are  no  drawbacks,  no  temptations  to  lure 
them  from  the  right  path — progTCssion  is  sure  and  easy.  Now  let  your 
miud  dwell  on  these  truths,  and  expand  our  influence,  and  you  will  en- 
joy much  more  pure  hajjpiness  than  you  have  ever  yet  enjoyed." — Hist, 
of  Rcc.  Develop,  in  Philadelphia,  p.  64. 

"  To  a  Gentleman  from  his  Brother. — My  Dear  Beothee, — Your 
mind  was  so  favorably  inclined  when  you  came  in  that  you  had  not 
much  difficulty  in  believing  that  you  v.'ere  surrounded  by  dear  and  be- 
loved friends,  who  were  anxious  to  communicate  with  you,  and  unfold 
to  you  new  truths.  Did  mankind  only  know  the  beauty  and  harmony 
of  the  spirit  home,  they  would  not  allow  their  minds  to  dwell  so  much 
on  the  things  of  the  earth,  but  lift  them  up  in  holy  contemplation  of 
that  lovely  place.  You  cannot  conceive  of  its  beauties,  much  less  of 
the  infinite  and  lovely  character  of  its  Divine  Creator.  Man  has  de- 
based him,  and  brought  him  lower  than  himself,  by  giving  attributes  to 
an  infinite  degree  that  should  not  be  possessed  in  a  finite  degree.  Let 
not  your  miud  look  upon  him  in  this  light,  but  iu  a  far  higher  and 
more  glorious  one.  You  can  form  no  idea  of  our  happiness  ;  words 
cannot  express  it.  This  glorious  destiny  is  prepared  for  all  men  with- 
out exception  ;  none  are  to  1)6  excluded,  all  shall  be  happy.  Those 
who  do  not  develop  themselves  while  on  earth,  must  see  that  they  have 
not  treasured  their  time  as  they  should  have  done  before.  They  must 
enter  a  lower  circle  than  they  need  otherwise  have  done,  and  be  pro- 
perly taught  and  developed  by  those  more  advanced.  Now  will  you 
not  pay  attentiou  to  these  words,  and  prepare  yourself  for  an  abode  in 
the  higher  circle  immediately  upon  leaving  the  earth.  Done." — Id.  p. 
65. 

"  From  the  Spirit  of  a  Sister  in  answer  to  the  question, '  Is  she  dead  T 
— No,  I  am  not  dead,  but  live  in  a  more  glorious  life.  0 !  we  are  all 
happy  in  the  spirit  home.  My  dear  sister,  I  am  happy  to  have  an  op- 
portunity to  communicate  with  you.  I  have  long  wished  to  manifest 
myself  to  you,  but  your  condition  has  not  been  such  as  to  permit  such 
sweet  communion  with  you.  Your  idea  of  the  spirit  after  it  leaves  its 
tenement  of  clay  is  wi'ong  ;  such  is  the  fact  with  most  people.  Mor 
tals,  with  their  unassisted  mental  perceptions,  cannot  understand  about 
the  existence  of  the  spirit  after  it  bursts  its  prison  door  and  soars  away 
in  immortal  life.  Did  you  understand  the  laws  of  progression  that 
govern  the  development  of  the  immortal  spirit,  you  would  live,  while 


PS  ETTDO-SPrBITlTALJSM. 


283 


on  earth,  so  as  to  develope  all  the  higher  and  holier  attributes  of  the 
mind.  Our  mission  is  to  teach  mankind  this,  among  other  important 
lessons,  concerning  their  life  in  a  physical  and  spiritual  existence.  Man 
lives  for  a  high  and  noble  purpose.'  He  was  created  in  the  image  of 
God — his  spirit  is  an  emanation  from  God.  God  is  with  man  :  though 
he  tramples  all  that  is  good  beneath  him  for  a  time,  yet  the  good  within 
him  at  times  will  triumph  over  his  carnal  nature.  None  are  so  far  lost 
in  wrong  doing  but  they  will  be  developed  in  a  slow  degree,  if  but  lit- 
tle in  life,  the  more  to  be  developed  in  the  spirit  home.  Your  cold 
selfish  forms,  your  cold  sectarianism,  hinders  your  progress  in  spiritual 
development,  and  is  the  cause  of  much  wrong  doing  among  men.  God 
is  love — love  one  another,  cultivate  harmonious  relations  among  you, 
and  you  will  reap  a  rich  reward  in  the  peace  and  happiness  that  will 
increase  among  you.  Dear  sister,  think  of  what  I  communicate  to  you, 
and  do  not  reject  it  because  it  is  new  to  you.  It  is  in  accordance  with 
the  laws  which  God  in  his  wisdom  has  established  for  the  more  rapid 
progress  of  the  human  family  towards  a  higher  spiritual  condition. 
Done."— /(/.  p.  66. 

Whole  volumes  of  such  sickly  stuff  as  this  have  doubt- 
less been  indited  within  the  last  three  years,  and  the 
same  staple  bids  fair,  from  present  omens,  to  be  stretched 
out  to  the  "  crack  of  doom."'  If  any  one  would  see  it  in 
its  perfection,  let  him  consult  the  "  Spiritual  Messenger" 
of  R.  P.  Ambler,  whose  pages  are  a  model  on  the  score 
of  diluted  inanity.    Ecce  signum. 

"  Love  is  the  chosen  and  effectual  puriGer  of  man  ; — it  is  that  which 
reaches  down  to  the  deep  source  of  action,  and  clears  the  fountain  from 
which  the  streams  go  forth.  In  vain  has  the  Church  hurled  its  anathe- 
mas upon  the  sinaer ;  in  vain  has  it  robed  the  destiny  of  man  in  a  veil 
of  blackness,  and  made  wild  terror  the  instrument  of  repentance  ;  for 
with  all  the  thunders  of  almighty  ire,  with  all  the  picturings  of  dark 
despair,  the  saint  and  sinner  sleep  alike,  and  smile  in  mockery  at  the 
tragic  scene.  The  world  now  needs  a  more  gentle  ministry.  It  needs 
to  be  warmed  and  subdued  by  that  attractive  influence  which  shines  in 
the  sun  and  lights  the  stars.  "  It  needs  to  feel  in  its  heart  the  power  of 
that  celestial  love,  v\hich  is  the  angel  of  the  Supreme  Divinity.  Think 
not  that  such  a  principle  as  this  is"  weak — that  it  cannot  reach  to  the 
sinful,  the  degraded,  and  the  lost.  It  is  in  this  world  of  sin  that  Love 
has  its  work  to  do.  Far  away  over  the  wastes  of  human  life — down 
among  the  hiding-places  of  the  guilty — far  down  where  the  tear  of 
human  sympathy  is  seldom  shed,  shall  its  blessed  power  extend ;  and 
wherever  the  fallen  victims  of  crime  may  dwell — wherever  the  strug- 
gling soul  may  strive  with  the  tempter — wherever  the  chains  of  habit 
have  bound  and  burdened  the  heart — wherever  sin,  and  guilt,  and 
wretchedness  exist — where  tears  have  flowed  and  sighs  are  breathed, 


284 


PSEUDO-SPIRITUALISM. 


there  shall  it  perform  its  mission.  Yes;  it  shall  go  forth  where  no 
other  power  .can  reach,  gaining  its  silent  victories  in  a  sanctuary  where 
sword  and  flame  may  never  enter.  Lo  1  the  accents  of  love  are  breathed, 
and  the  poor  wanderer,  whose  heart  has  been  long  chilled  with  indiffer- 
ence, turns  and  smiles ;  those  accents  come  again  to  the  tempted,  and  even 
while  raising  the  cup  of  death  to  his  lips,  the  trembling  hand  is  stayed, 
and  a  noble  purpose  is  born  within  his  heart ;  and  then,  once  more, 
that  voice  of  love  falls  upon  the  ear  of  the  criminal— it  speaks  to  him 
who  has  heard  before  but  the  sound  of  scorn — to  him  who  has  been 
deserted,  despised,  and  hardened  in  his  sin  ;  and  behold  !  there,  in  those 
clanking  chains,  and  amid  the  dungeon's  gloom,  that  strong  heart  is 
melted,  and  he  weeps.  Oh  !  sweet  angel  of  Love  1  thou  art  the  chosen 
minister  of  Heaven— thy  breathing  tones  find  their  echo  in  the  inmost 
heart,  where  the  image  of  God  can  never  be  eSaced."— Spirit  Messen- 
ger, p.  155. 

If  it  were  not  profane  to  suppose  that  among  the  nu- 
merous upper  and  nether  "  spheres"  of  which  these  rap- 
ping "  reveahnents"  (vocable  most  uncouth  !)  speak, 
there  were  a  Boarding  School  Misses'  sphere,  we  should 
have  no  farther  to  seek  for  the  source  of  the  inspiration 
of  scores  of  paragraphs  like  the  above. 

On  the  whole,  it  can  hardly  fail,  we  think,  to  be  ap- 
parent to  a  ISTewchurchman  that  we  have  in  these  unique 
and  marvellous  manifestations  an  order  of  phenomena 
with  which  he  can  cherish  but  precious  little  sympathy, 
except  by  proving  recreant  to  principles  which,  as  a 
Newchurchman,  he  cannot  but  regard  as  immovable  as 
the  pillars  of  the  universe.  He  may,  if  he  pleases,  inves- 
tigate the  facts  as  he  would  any  other  class  of  scientifics, 
in  order  to  pronounce  a  more  intelligent  judgment  upon 
the  subject,  should  his  opinion  be  demanded.  To  this  he 
will  often  find  himself  exhorted.  "Investigate — open 
the  mind  to  evidence — be  loyal  to  truth."  "Well,  and 
suppose  he  has  investigated,  and  that  his  mind  is  fully 
made  up — suppose  that  he  admits  freely  the  supernatural 
character  of  the  marvel.  What  then  ?  What  more  has 
he  to  do  with  it?  Wliat  uses  can  it  subserve  to  him? 
He  may  never  himself  have  received  or  witnessed  a  false 
communication;  but  judging  the  tree  by  its  fruits,  what 
conclusion  can  he  reach  but  that,  be  the  spirits  good  or 
bad,  the  emanations  which  come  forth  from  theiri  are  not, 


PSEUDO-SPIKITUALISM . 


285 


as  a  general  fact,  entitled  to  credit.  In  the  department 
of  natural  things  he  cannot  repose  confidence  in  their 
statements  any  farther  than  as  they  are  confirmed  by 
other  evidence  drawn  from  other  sources.  In  the  region 
of  spiritual  matters,  what  light  can  they  afford  him  of 
any  value  which  he  has  not  already  ?  Would  he  set 
their  credibility  above  that  of  the  illuminated  seer  of  the 
New  Church  ?  When  he  finds,  for  instance,  these  ghost- 
ly revelators  saying  from  the  other  world,  as  they  usual- 
ly do,  that  they  saw  their  lifeless  bodies  reposing  on 
their  beds,  surrounded  by  Aveeping  friends,  and  that,  too, 
in  a  few  moments  after  their  dissolution,  how  much  will 
this  weigh  against  the  positive  declaration  of  Sweden- 
borg,  that  the  spiritual  can  take  no  direct  and  immediate 
cognizance  of  the  material,  any  more  than  the  material 
does  of  the  spiritual — that  there  must  be  some  interven- 
ing medium,  psychologically  adajjted,  through  whose 
eyes  the  objects  of  earth  can  be  seen  ?  What,  moreover, 
can  he  think  of  the  reliability  of  communications  which 
so  generally — we  do  not  say  universally — lead  the  "  cir- 
cles" to  deny  the  supreme  divinity  of  Jesus,  to  reject  the 
Bible- Word  as  the  grand  authoritative  embodiment  of 
Divine  Truth,  to  scout  the  eternity,  not  to  say,  in  many 
cases,  the  existence  of  the  hells,  to  ignore  the  necessity  of 
regeneration,  and  to  inculcate  a  system  of  ethics  which 
makes  little  or  no  account  of  the  relations  of  genuine 
charity  to  genuine  truth  ?  That  these  are  actually  the 
characteristics  of  the  spiritualism — if  we  may  use  the 
misnomer — which  we  aic  now  subjecting  to  review — 
that  its  whole  literature  is  leavened  with  them — it  is  im- 
possible to  deny.  That  exceptional  cases  occur  we  are 
free  to  admit ;  but  that  we  have  not  libelled  the  system 
and  the  "  circles"  we  have  the  strongest  assurance.  And 
now  what  were  whole  ship-loads  of  such  trash  compared 
with  the  one  single  paragraph  from  the  luminous  pen  of 
Swedenborg  which  we  here  insert  ? 

"  In  what  degree  a  mediate  revelation,  which  is  effected  by  means  of  the 
Word,  is  preferable  to  an  immediate  revelation,  which  is  effected  by  means 
of  spirits. — It  is  generally  believed  that  man  might  be  more  enlightened, 
25* 


286 


PSEUD0-6PIRITTIALISM. 


and  become  more  wise,  if  an  immediate  revelation  was  granted  him  by 

means  of  converse  with  spirits  and  angels  ;  but  the  reverse  is  the  case. 
Illustration  by  means  of  the  "W  ord  is  effected  by  an  interior  way, 
whereas,  illustration  by  means  of  an  immediate  revelation,  is  effected  by 
an  exterior  way.  The  interior  way  is  by  the  will  into  the  understand- 
ing, the  exterior  way  is  by  the  hearing  into  the  understanding.  Man, 
by  means  of  the  Word,  is  illustrated  by  the  Lord,  in  proportion  as  his 
will  is  in  good  ;  but  man  by  hearing  may  be  instructed,  and,  as  it  were, 
illustrated,  although  his  will  is  in  evil,  and  what  enters  into  the  under- 
standing in  a  man,  whose  will  is  in  evil,  is  not  within  the  man  but 
without  him,  and  is  only  in  his  memory  and  not  in  his  life,  and  what  is 
without  man  and  not  in  his  life,  is  gradually  separated,  if  not  before, 
nevertheless  after  death  ;  for  the  will,  which  is  in  evil,  either  casts  it 
out  or  suffocates  it,  or  falsifies  and  profanes  it ;  for  the  will  constitutes 
the  life  of  man,  and  continually  acts  upon  the  understanding,  and  re- 
gards as  extraneous  what  is  derived  into  the  understanding  from  the 
memory.  On  the  contrary,  the  understanding  does  not  act  on  the  will, 
but  it  only  teaches  in  what  manner  the  will  should  act :  wherefore  if  a 
man  knew  from  heaven  whatever  is  known  to  the  angels,  or  if  he  knew 
whatever  is  contained  in  the  Word,  and  moreover  all  that  is  contained 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  church,  which  the  fathers  have  written  and 
councils  declared,  and  his  will  remains  in  evil,  nevertheless,  after  death, 
such  a  man  would  be  regarded  as  one  who  knows  nothing,  because  he 
does  not  will  what  he  knows ;  and  whereas  evil  hates  truth  in  this  case, 
the  man  himself  casts  out  truths,  and  in  the  room  thereof  adopts  such 
falses  as  are  in  agreement  with  the  evil  of  his  will.  Moreover  permis- 
sion is  not  granted  to  any  spirit  nor  to  any  angel  to  teach  any  man  on 
this  earth  in  divine  truths,  but  the  Lord  himself  teaches  every  one  by 
means  of  the  Word,  and  the  man  is  taught  in  proportion  as  he  receives 
good  from  the  Lord  in  his  will,  and  he  receives  good  in  the  same  pro- 
portion as  he  flees  evils  as  sins ;  every  man  also  is  in  a  society  of  spirits 
as  to  his  affections,  and  as  to  his  thoughts  thence  derived,  in  which  so- 
ciety his  mind  is,  as  it  were,  present  with  them  :  wherefore  spirits  speak- 
ing with  man,  speak  from  his  aftections,  and  according  to  them. 

"  A  man  cannot  converse  with  other  spirits  unless  the  societies  in 
which  he  is  be  first  removed,  which  cannot  be  done  except  by  a  refor- 
mation of  his  will ;  because  every  man  is  in  society  with  spirits  who 
are  in  the  same  religion  with  himself,  wherefore,  when  the  spirits  con- 
verse with  him,  they  confirm  whatever  a  man  has  made  a  part  of  his 
religion  ;  consequently,  enthusiastic  spirits  confirm  whatever  is  of  en- 
thusiasm with  man  ;  Quaker  spirits  confirm  whatever  is  of  Quakerism  ; 
Moravian  spirits  whatever  is  of  Moravianism,  and  so  forth.  Hence 
proceed  confirmations  of  the  false  which  can  never  be  extirpated. 
From  this  it  appears,  that  mediate  revelation,  which  is  effected  by 
means  of  the  Word,  is  preferable  to  immediate  revelation,  which  is 
effected  by  means  of  spirits.  As  to  what  regards  myself,  it  was  not 
allowed  to  take  anything  from  the  dictate  of  any  spirit,  or  from  the  dic- 
tate of  any  angel,  but  from  the  dictate  of  the  Lord  alone." — Con.  Sac. 
Scrip,  from  Experience,  p.  11. 


PSETTDO-  SPIRITUALISM. 


287 


We  have  now  completed  our  task,  and  know  not  that 
we  shall  ever  have  occasion  to  revert  to  it.  We  are  well 
aware  that  our  views  on  the  subject  will  impinge  some- 
what gratingly  upon  the  theories  and  the  feelings  of 
several  personal  friends  whom  we  are  truly  sorry  to 
offend,  if  offence  does  indeed  come  of  it.  Onr  remarks 
will  undoubtedly  savor  to  them  of  a  narrowness  of  spirit, 
of  a  "  sectarian  bigotry,"  from  which  they  had  hoped  us 
fairly  quit.  From  such  we  must  bespeak  all  the  charity 
they  may  have  it  in  their  power  to  bestow.  We  trust 
they  will  jDcrceive  that  our  object  is  simply  to  expose 
what  we  conscientiously  regard  as  a  pernicious  system  of 


its  specious  disguises,  and  by  presenting  it  in  contrast 
with  a  spiritualism  which  is  pure  and  true — which  is 
from  the  Lord,  and  leads  to  the  Lord — to  persuade  the 
man  of  the  New  Church  to  abjure  all  fellowship  with  it, 
and  to  fall  back  upon  those  surer  oracles  which  were 
graciously  designed  as  "  a  lamp  to  our  feet  and  a  guide 
to  our  path." 


THE  LAW  AND  THE  TESTIMOITY  versus  THE  FAMILIAR  SPIRITS 
AND  THE  WIZARDS. 


"  And  when  they  shall  sat  unto  you,  Seek  unto  them  that 
have  familiar  spirits,  and  unto  wizards  that  peep,  and  that 

mutter  :  SHOULD  NOT  A  PEOPLE  SEEK  UNTO  THEIR  GoD  ?  FOR  THE  LIV- 
ING TO  THE  DEAD  ? 

"  To  THE  LAW  AND  TO  THE  TESTIMONY  :  IF  THEY  SPEAK  NOT  ACCORD- 
ING TO  THIS  WORD,  IT  IS  BECAUSE  THERE  IS  NO  LIGHT  IN  THEM."  Is. 

viii.  19,  20. 

Events  transpiring  at  this  day,  and  which  will  readily 
suggest  themselves  to  the  reader,  render  the  juxtaposi- 
tion of  things  in  these  two  verses  quite  remarkable.  The 
bane  and  the  antidote  are  here  presented  side  by  side. 


We  have  endeavored  to  strip  it  of 


[N.  C.  Repository,  February,  1853.] 


288 


PSEUDO-SPIRTTUALISM. 


The  "Law  and  the  Testimony,"  or  the  truth  of  the  Divine 
Revelation  is  distinctly  made  the  standard  by  which 
every  pretended  supernatural  communication  is  to  be 
tried.  If  it  be  not  in  accordance  with  these,  it  gives  evi- 
deuce  at  once  of  being  a  product  of  darkness,  and  not  an 
emanation  of  light.  The  word,  however,  here  rendered 
"  light"  is  peculiar.  It  is  the  more  appropriate  term  for 
morning,  as  it  is  for  the  most  part  translated.  In  this 
sense  the  implication  is,  that  those  who  have  recourse  to 
these  forbidden  oracles  have  never  yet  hailed  the  morn- 
ing dawn  of  the  New  Dispensation  in  the  afflux  of  its  en- 
lightening beams.  The  language  is  plainly  that  of  a 
pointed  rebuke  to  those  who  would  forego  the  infallible 
source  of  all  wisdom  and  truth  for  the  vain  and  lying 
divinations  of  necromancers  and  paltering  "  mediums" 
between  the  living  and  the  dead.  "For  tlie  living  to  the 
dead  ?"  Tliat  is,  shall  consultation  be  had  in  behalf  of 
the  living  to  the  dead?  by  which  we  may  properly  un- 
derstand that  the  spiritually  living  in  this  life  are  not  to 
have  recourse  to  the  spiritually  dead  in  the  other  life ; 
from  which  the  inference  is  not  difficult  to  be  drawn, 
that  the  spirits  who  communicate  on  these  occasions  have 
their  interiors  closed,  which  is  spiritual  death.  If  they 
were  open,  they  would  have  something  to  say  about 
genuine  good  and  genuine  truth,  and  their  inter-relations, 
for  these  are  the  pee  id  ium  of  the  spiritual  mind  ;  but  we 
have  sought  in  vain  for  an}'  distinct  recognition  of  these 
principles  in  all  the  spirit-lore  that  has  come  under  our 
observation.  Spirits  whose  interiors  are  opened  could 
never  speak  lightly  or  disparagingly  of  the  Divine  Word, 
the  grand  repository  of  Truth,  and  yet  nothing  is  more 
evident  than  the  fact  of  a  general — we  do  not  say  uni- 
versal— repudiation  of  Holy  Writ  by  these  rapping,  writ- 
ing, and  speaking  spirits,  and  their  devotees. 


SLEEP, 


[X.  C.  Repos.,  Feb.  and  March,  1855.] 

"  So  he  giveth  his  beloved  sleep." — Psalm  cxxvii.  2. 

The  first  emotions  excited  by  these  words  of  the 
Psahnist  would  naturally  be  those  of  the  Christian, 
rather  than  of  the  philosopher  or  naturalist.  They  ad- 
dress themselves  with  peculiar  pertinence  and  power  to 
that  state  of  mind  which  gratefully  recognizes  the  divine 
benefaction  in  the  unchanging  ordinance  of  day  and 
night,  and  the  alternate  seasons  of  activity  and  repose, 
which  cheer  while  they  checker  the  scenes  of  sublunary 
life.  There  is  something,  to  a  devout  frame  of  spirit  in 
sinking  sweetly  into  sleep  and  awaking  from  it  vigorous 
and  refreshed,  that  brings  more  vividly  to  mind  the  di- 
vine protection  than  perhaps  anything  else  that  occurs 
in  the  round  of  our  daily  experience.  The  state  of  sleep 
is  one  of  such  utter  helplessness  and  dependence,  that  if 
ever  we  are  prompted  to  lift  our  souls  in  thankful  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  tutelary  care  of  Providence,  it  is 
when  we  open  our  eyes  in  the  morning  upon  the  light  of 
returning  day,  and  think  of  the  love  which  kept  unsleep- 
ing and  protecting  vigils  over  us  while  buried  in  uncon- 
scious slumbers.  Under  such  impressions,  we  read  a 
double  significance  in  the  language  of  the  Psalmist,  "  I 
laid  me  down  and  slept ;  I  awaked,  for  the  Lord  sus- 
tained me."  "  I  will  both  lay  me  down  in  peace  and 
sleep ;  for  thou,  Lord,  only  makest  me  to  dwell  in  safe- 
ty." And  in  another  place,  "  The  Lord  will  not  suffer 
thy  foot  to  be  moved  ;  he  that  keepeth  thee  will  not 
slumber.  Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither 
slumber  nor  sleep.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper;  the  Lord 
Ib  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand.    The  sun  shall  not 


290 


SLEEP, 


smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night.  The  Lord 
shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil ;  he  shall  preserve  thy 
soul." 

Such  is  the  view  that  simple-hearted  piety  takes  of  this 
and  similar  texts,  and  we  cannot  of  course  deny  that  the 
devout  emotions  awakened  are  altogether  appropriate 
and  conducive  to  the  nourishment  of  the  religious  prin- 
ciple.   It  is  always  pleasant  to  witness  a  state  of  mind 


for  ever-growing  admiration  and  praise  in  the  most 
familiar  objects  that  minister  to  our  comfort — which,  in 
a  word,  is  ever  receiving  neiv  affections  from  old  sources. 
But  the  type  of  piety  prevalent  in  the  gi'eater  portion  of 
Christendom  shrinks  from  advancing  further  than  this. 
It  fears  the  damaging  of  truly  spiritual  interests  by  pene- 
trating too  deeply  into  the  interior  nature  and  rationale  of 
things.  It  is  fearful  of  the  explorations  of  science  in  the 
field  of  fiiith.  It  would  not  have  one  go  down  with  a 
lighted  torch  to  the  foundations  of  the  temple  of  its  Jeru- 
salem, even  if  it  were  certain  of  finding  there  a  mine  of 
gold  or  diamonds.  What,  it  asks,  has  scientific  or  philo- 
sophic truth  to  do  with  the  sentiment  of  the  devout  soul  ? 
Can  we  look  into  the  arcana  of  creation  without  descend- 
ing somewhat  from  that  hallowed  height  of  feeling  which 
brings  us  into  the  closest  communion  with  the  Divine  ? 
Is  there  not  danger  of  contracting  a  certain  degree  of 
secularity,  or  profanity,  in  our  religious  frames,  by  per- 
mitting the  thoughts  to  expatiate  over  the  field  of 
science,  and  to  study  deeply  into  the  l  elation  of  cause 
and  etiect  ? 

To  all  this  the  man  of  the  jSTew  Clmrch  has  a  ready 
answer.  He  is  prepared  at  once  to  aflirm,  that  from  the 
intimate  relation  between  the  two  grand  principles  of  Love 
and  Wisdom  it  is  impossible  that  the  deepest  researches 
of  intellect  can  beany  detriment  to  the  purest  emotions  of 
piety.  As  everything  natural  refers  itself  to  spiritual 
causes,  we  are  conducted  by  physical  phenomena  to  the 
very  region  of  spirituality,  and  in  this  region  the  actings 
of  the  mind  must  be  intelligent,  yet  who  can  question 
that  they  are  devout? 


which  appreciates  common  bh 


-which  finds  matter 


SLEEP. 


291 


In  investigating  the  nature  of  Sleep,  as  a  marvellous 
and  mysterious  feature  of  our  human  economy,  we  are 
treacling  emphatically  upon  !New  Church  ground  ;  for 
our  system,  as  is  well  known  to  every  receiver,  makes 
much  of  tlie  animal  and  mental  structure  of  man,  and  is 
moreover  ever  fain  to  push  physiology  into  the  sphere 
of  psychology,  and  to  connect  theology  with  both 
wherever  it  can  be  dbne.  We  shall  see  as  we  proceed, 
that  nothing  offers  a  finer  field  for  this  than  sleep  ;  and 
the  mode  of  treatment  to  be  pursued  is  one  that  will  be 
sought  in  vain  in  the  mass  of  writers  on  physiology,  as 
they  are  very  sure,  for  the  most  part,  to  be  smitten, 
whenever  they  approach  the  borders  of  the  spiritual, 
with  what  we  may  term  a  kind  of  2>sychophoMa — or 
shuddering  dread  of  anything  that  transcends  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  purely  natural.  Profoundly  grateful  would 
we  be  that  the  very  genius  of  the  New  Church  is  the  re- 
cognition of  all  natural  truth  as  the  outbirth  of  spiritual, 
and  the  impossibility  of  rightly  viewing  them  apart  from 
each  other.  "We  are  passing  continually  back  and  forth 
between  two  worlds  when  we  are  unfolding  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  New  Church. 

In  attempting  to  develoj)  the  physiology  of  sleep,  it 
is  important  to  advert  to  the  distinction  between  the 
voluntary  and  the  involuntary  functions  of  our  economy, 
and  the  two  great  ruling  organs,  the  cerebrum  and  the 
cerebellum,  upon  which,  for  the  most  part,  they  respect- 
ively depend.  The  former  or  the  voluntary  functions, 
are  under  what  we  may  term  the  more  especial  supervi- 
sion and  control  of  the  cerebrum,  or  the  frontal  portion  of 
the  brain,  and  the  latter,  the  involuntary,  of  the  cerebel- 
lum, or  posterior  part  of  the  brain.  On  this  head  we 
are  enabled  to  confirm  the  inductions  of  science  by  the 
revelations  vouchsafed  to  the  great  authority  of  the  New 
Church. 

"  Sense  in  general,  or  general  sense,  is  distinguished  into  voluntary 
and  involuntary  ;  voluntary  sense  is  proper  to  the  cerebrum,  but  in- 
voluntary sense  is  proper  to  the  cerebellum  ;  these  two  general  senses 
are  conjoined  with  man,  but  still  distinct ;  the  fibres  which  issue 


292 


SLEEP. 


forth  from  the  cerebrum  exhibit  in  general  the  voluntary  sense, 
and  the  fibres  which  issue  from  the  cerebellum  exhibit  in  general  the 
involuntary  sense ;  the  fibres  of  this  double  origin  conjoin  themselves 
in  the  two  appendixes  which  are  called  the  medulla  oblongata  and  the 
medulla  spinalis,  and  pass  through  them  into  the  body,  and  form  to- 
gether its  members,  viscera,  and  organs.  Those  which  gird  about  the 
body,  as  the  muscles  and  skin,  and  also  the  organs  of  the  senses,  re- 
ceive for  the  most  part  fibres  from  the  cerebrum ;  hence  man  has  sense 
and  hence  motion  according  to  his  will ;  but  the  parts  which  are  with- 
in that  girding  or  enclosure,  and  are  called  the  viscera  of  the  body, 
receive  fibres  from  the  cerebellum ;  hence  man  has  no  sense  thereof, 
neither  are  those  parts  under  the  disposal  of  the  will.  From  these 
considerations  it  may  in  some  degree  appear,  what  sense  in  general  is, 
or  the  general  voluntary  sense,  and  the  general  involuntary  sense.  It 
is  moreover  to  be  observed,  that  there  must  needs  be  a  general  in  order 
that  there  may  be  any  particular,  and  that  what  is  particular  can  in  no 
wise  exist  and  subsist  without  what  is  general ;  and  indeed  that  it 
subsists  in  what  is  general ;  and  that  everything  particular  is  circum- 
stanced according  to  the  quality  and  according  to  the  state  of  what  is 
general ;  this  is  the  case  also  with  sense  appertaining  to  man,  and  like- 
wise with  motion." — A.  C.  4325. 

The  waking  state  is  constituted  by  the  waking  condi- 
tion of  the  cerebrum  and  all  that  depends  upon  it,  as 
this  holds  the  voluntary  principle  in  a  kind  of  erectness 
or  tension  over  the  whole  body.  This  is  done  by  means 
of  a  continual  supply  of  the  nervous  fluid,  of  which  the 
brain  is  doubtless  the  grand  depository  and  almoner,  and 
so  long  as  this  element  is  supplied,  the  tension  of  the 
muscles  and  fibres  continues.  The  effect  is  that  the 
structures  generally,  especially  the  brain  and  the  lungs, 
are  maintained  in  a  state  of  comparative  uprightness 
and  rigor,  so  that  the  interstices  and  fissures  are  kept  di- 
vided and  open,  afiording  a  free,  unobstructed  passage 
or  channel  between  them.  Tliey  are  preserved  in  a  state 
opposite  to  that  of  relaxation  or  collapse.  During  sleep, 
on  the  other  hand,  these  interstitial  apertures  are  in  a 
measure  closed  and  almost  obliterated  by  the  approxima- 
tion of  theiv  parieies,  or  walls,  the  two  conditions  being 
somewhat  fairly  represented  by  a  number  of  sacks,  first 
filled  and  then  empty.  The  collapse  of  the  cerebrum  it- 
self causes  a  corresponding  collapse  in  the  lungs,  and 
the  bringing  nearer  together  of  the  loosened  vesicles,  or 


SLEEP. 


293 


air-cells,  obstructs  the  free  passage  of  the  breath,  and 
thus  occasions  stertov,  or  snoring.  For  the  same  reason, 
as  the  foldings  of  the  brain  lose  their  tension  and  be- 
come comparatively  flaccid,  there  is  a  kind  of  stupidity 
or  dullness  for  a  short  time  after  one  awakes,  and  it  is 
only  after  several  acts  of  yawning  and  stretching  that 
the  structures  acquire  the  rec[uisite  degree  of  tenseness, 
bracing,  or  rigidity  to  enable  them  to  act  with  cfticiency 
mider  the  control  of  the  will.  The  string  must  be  tight- 
ened in  order  to  speed  the  arrow  powerfully  and  rapidly 
from  the  bow.  Yawning  and  stretching  seem  to  aid  the 
process  of  tension. 

"We  may  regard  it  then  as  unquestionable  that  the 
waking  from  sleep  is  the  waking  of  the  cerebrum  to  the 
active  discharge  of  its  controlling  or  superintendent 
functions,  the  sphere  of  which  is  the  voluntary  muscular 
movements.  IIow  it  is  that  tiie  cerebruna  is  enabled  to 
minister  the  medium  of  this  increased  activity  to  the 
nerves  and  muscles,  we  shall  consider  by  and  by  ;  but  I 
here  repeat  the  remark,  that  the  cerebrum  holds  the 
reins  of  the  voluntary  system  throughout  the  day,  during 
which  it  infuses  a  corresponding  wakefulness  and  anima- 
tion to  every  part  of  the  body,  thus  holding  all  the  or- 
gans that  arc  under  its  control  in  readiness  to  execute 
on  the  instant  its  slightest  command. 

During  the  night  and  the  season  of  sleep,  this  order 
of  things  is  reversed.  The  cerebrum  is  no  longer  domi- 
nant, but  yields  up  the  empire  of  the  whole  economy  to 
the  cerebellum,  whose  province  it  is  to  govern  the  in- 
voluntary motions,  as  those  of  the  lungs,  and  the  various 
secreting  and  assimilating  processes  which  are  constant- 
ly going  on,  as  well  when  we  sleep  as  when  we  wake. 
"  I  have  been  instructed,"  says  Swedenborg,  "  that  the 
cerebellum  is  awake  during  sleep,  when  the  cerebrum  is 
asleep." — A.  O.  1997.  So  also  in  the  "  Animal  King- 
dom.,'''' written  before  his  illumination,  he  says :  "  The 
cerebrum  rules  in  the  day  time,  and  excites  itself  at  will 
to  general  and  particular  animations.  The  cerebellum, 
on  the  other  hand,  takes  up  the  reins  at  night,  and 
2G 


294 


SLKl  r. 


obliges  tnc  cerebrum  it.self  and  tlio  two  incdnllfc  to  fol- 
low its  own  reciprocal  acts  of  animation."  There  is  this 
remarkable  difference  in  the  operation  of  the  two  depart- 
ments. The  voluntary  motions  arc  subject  to  fatigue, 
and  need  to  be  recruited  and  reinforced  by  fresh  supplies 
of  the  proper  stimulus,  while  the  involuntary  appear  never 
to  tire,  but  keep  on  from  infancy  to  old  age,  in  one  cease- 
less round  of  action.  Continual  exercise  exhausts  the 
energies  of  the  voluntary  pystem,  and  in  order  that  the 
wearied  functions  may  be  again  excited,  stronger  stimu- 
lants must  be  employed,  or  they  must  be  refreshed  b}- 
repose.  This  refreshment  is  actually  aftbrdcd  by  the 
operation  of  the  cerebellum  during  sleep;  as  this  organ 
has  for  its  office  to  repair  the  damages,  to  make  up  for 
the  wear  and  tear  which  the  body  sustains  under  the 
action  of  the  cerebrum  during  the  labors  of  the  previ- 
ous day. 

But  tlic  (question  will  naturally  be  proposed,  hoio  it  is 
that  the  cerebellum  should  be  able  to  continue  its  func- 
tions without  exhaustion,  and  as  a  living  fountain  to 
pour  forth  the  vital  influence  which  goes  incessantly  to 
renovate  the  im])aircd  vigor  of  the  system.  This  ques- 
tion cannot  be  answered  without  having  recourse  to  the 
central  doctrine  of  influx  from  the  Divine  Head-spring 
of  life.  That  all  life  is  by  influx  from  the  Lord  into 
adapted  receptacles,  is  a  fundamental  tenet  of  the  New 
Church,  and  it  is  so,  simply  because  it  is  the  dictate  of 
all  right  reason  and  all  divine  revelation.  This  truth, 
however,  is  no  more  certain  than  that  in  man  are  two  re- 
ceptacles of  life  from  the  Lord ;  viz.,  the  will  and  the 
understanding,  or  the  love  and  the  intellect.  But  that 
the  cerebrum  is  more  appi'ojjriatoly  the  seat  of  the 
understanding,  and  the  cerebellum  of  the  will,  we  are 
taught  by  Swedenborg  in  express  terms.  "For  be  it 
observed,"  says  he,  in  the  treatise  on  Influx  (n.  11,)  "  that 
the  seat  of  the  understanding  is  in  the  cerebrum,  or  fore 
part  of  the  head,  but  that  of  the  will  is  the  cerebel- 
lum, or  the  hinder  part."  Taking  this  then  as  established, 
the  whole  tenor  of  our  doctrine  concerning  influx  leads 


295 


to  the  position,  that  the  iiioi'c  iiumodiate  flowing-iu  of 
the  divine  love,  which  is  the  essential  element  of  life,  is 
into  the  cerebellnm,  the  seat  of  aftection,  rather  than 
into  the  cerebrum,  the  seat  of  thought.  On  this  head 
wo  are  happy  to  be  able  to  fortify  our  position  by  an 
authority  which  is  beyond  question  with  the  major  part 
of  those  for  whom  we  write. 

•• '  And  I  turned  to  sco  the  voice  that  spake  with  me.' — That  thero 
by  is  signified  the  understanding  enlightened,  may  appear  in  some  de- 
gree from  what  was  said  above,  n.  55,  in  the  explication  of  what  is  signifi- 
ed by  John's  hearing  a  voice  behind  him.  It  is  evident  that  these  words 
contain  an  arcanum  which  cannot  be  known,  till  it  is  understood  how 
the  divine  influx  from  heaven  enters  the  mind  of  man,  for  it  was  from 
influx  that  J ohn  heard  the  voice  behind  him,  and  that  afterwards,  be- 
ing turned  to  see  the  voice,  he  saw  the  things  which  followed.  The 
divine  influx  from  heaven  is  into  the  will  of  man,  and  through  it  into 
his  understanding.  Influx  into  the  will  is  into  the  occiput,  because 
into  the  cerebellum,  and  hence  it  advances  towards  the  fore  part  into 
the  cerebrum,  where  the  understanding  has  its  seat,  and  when  it  comes 
by  that  way  into  the  understanding,  it  then  also  comes  into  the  sight, 
for  man  sees  from  his  understanding.  That  such  is  the  process  of  in- 
flux, has  been  taught  me  by  much  experience.  Whether  we  say  influx 
into  the  will,  or  into  the  love,  is  the  same  thing,  since  the  will  is  the 
receptacle  of  love  ;  it  is  also  the  same  whether  we  say  influx  into  the 
understanding  or  into  faith,  inasmuch  as  tlie  understanding  is  the  re- 
ceptacle of  faith."— .4.  £.61. 

The  love-principle,  wi;  are  clearly  taught,  is  the  very 
ground-element  of  life — it  is  the  foundation,  the  esse,  of 
being — and  in  every  created  existence  stands  in  inmie- 
diate  connection  with  the  infinite  and  eternal  fountain  of 
life  in  the  Deity.  Why  then  should  it  not  be  a  perennial 
reservoir  for  lliose  interior  vital  influences  which  every 
moment  sustain  the  involuntary  functions  both  of  the 
animal  and  vegetable  woi-lds  ?  Here  then,  we  conceive, 
is  the  reason  why  the  cerebellum  never  tires  and  never 
sleeps.  It  is  because,  as  Swedenborg  beautifully  ex- 
presses it,  "  LovK  NEYEK  SLEEPS."  This  is  not  only  rheto- 
rically, but  philosophically  or  ontologically  true.  As 
love  is  the  essence  of  life,  it  can  no  more  sleep  than  life 
can  be  intermitted  and  yet  still  be  life.  It  is  eternally 
awake  from  its  very  nature.    It  is  only  the  intellect  that 


296 


SLEEP. 


sleeps,  which  is  tlic  external  to  the  love,  as  the  form  is 
external  to  the  essence. 

With  this  view  before  ns,  we  are  prepared  to  answer 
the  question  as  to  the  real  seat  of  the  conscious  Ego  or  I 
— the  essential  i^ersonality  of  the  intelligent  being.  It 
is  not  primarily  in  tlie  intellectual  principle,  notwith- 
standing that  the  unconsciousness  of  sleep  falls  upon  that 
principle,  and  it  might  seem  that  that  was  the  elemental 
person — the  real  Ego — which  loses  its  consciousness  in 
sleep.  But  the  fact  is,  there  is  a  latent  or  interior  con- 
sciousness, even  in  the  profoundest  sleep.  A  person 
asleep  is  not  like  a  person  dead.  He  has  all  the  while 
an  obscure  consciousness  that  he  is  alive,  and  this  con- 
sciousness must  be  referred  to  that  principle  which  is  the 
innermost  substratum  of  his  being;  and  that  is  his  love, 
and  not  his  understanding — his  affection,  and  not  his 
thought. 

In  the  waking  state  the  two  portions  of  the  brain  act, 
in  a  great  degree,  conjointly  with  each  other,  as  they  are 
united,  in  their  descent  into  the  body,  in  the  Medulla 
Oblongata  and  the  Spinal  Marrow,  from  which  the 
nerves  of  sensation  and  motion  spread  themselves  in 
every  direction.  The  waking  consciousness,  therefore,  of 
ourselves  attaches  to  the  whole  fabric  of  our  being  when 
everything  is  in  full  play  and  at  the  height  of  its  ac- 
tivity. In  this  state  it  is  hardly  possible  to  be  aware  of 
the  importance  of  that  part  of  the  economy  which  is 
termed  involuntary  and  which  is  governed  by  the  cere- 
bellum. We  term  it  involuntary,  which  literally  implies 
the  absence  of  will,  but  in  truth  there  is  an  interior  will 
within  this  involuntary,  just  as  there  is  an  interior  per- 
ception within  the  grosser  understanding,  and  just  as 
there  is  an  influx  from  the  celestial  into  the  spiritual 
heaven.  And  the  operation  of  this  inner  will,  all  uncon- 
scious as  the  intellect  ordinarily  is  of  it,  is  infinitely 
more  perfect  in  the  exquisite  ends  which  it  accomplishes 
than  the  volition  of  the  understanding.  Look  at  the 
phenom.ena  of  Instinct  which  flow  from  this  source  in  the 
lower  animals.    Contemplate  the  achievements  of  the 


SLEEP. 


297 


bee  and  the  beaver.  Sec  if  anything  iu  the  proudest 
monuments  of  human  reason  and  skill  can  compare  with 
tiie  products  of  their  wondrous  elaboration.  In  all  this 
we  behold  the  working  of  that  science  which  is  proper  to 
aftection,  for  all  animals  are  embodied  affections.  Look 
also  at  the  feats  of  somnambulists,  with  what  amazing  tact 
will  they  manage  their  limbs  in  climbing  or  walking  over 
perilous  places,  when  their  judgment  is  asleep  and  they 
are  solely  under  the  government  of  the  interior  will  as 
ruled  by  the  cerebellum.  Look  again  at  the  mysterious 
working  of  the  involuntary  organs  of  the  body,  prompt- 
ed by  the  same  interior  power.  And  here  I  will  cite  the 
language  of  Swedenborg,  the  physiologist,  on  this  head. 
The  passage  is  from  the  Animal  Kingdom,  where  he  is 
describing  the  office  of  the  lacteals  :  "  Every  fibre  carries 
with  it  the  animus  or  affections  of  its  parent  cerebrum 
or  cerebellum,  consequently  different  kinds  of  love, 
desire,  hatred,  and  loathing,  longings  and  antipathies, 
and  all  their  ever  various  states.  The  mesenteric  fibres, 
animated  by  the  brains,  are  what  command  and  cause 
the  delicate  mouths  of  the  lacteals  to  seize  with  avidity 
whatever  things  are  desirod,  and  to  reject  with  loathing 
whatever  are  disliked  ;  and  to  open  their  little  mouths, 
apply  their  little  lips,  and  to  drink  with  willingness  in 
proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the  desire;  or  to  corru- 
gate, retract,  and  close  their  orifices,  in  proportion  to  the 
intensity  of  the  loathing;  for  at  the  first  approach,  con- 
tact, or  salute  of  any  chyle  or  juice,  whether  desired  or 
abhorred,  they  suddenly  change  their  state."  Can  all 
these  exquisite  processes  be  carried  on  without  intelli- 
gence ?  But  v^-hat  intelligence  is  it  ?  The  intellect  of 
the  cerebrum  knows  nothing  of  it — has  nothing  to  do 
with  it  ?  It  is  the  hidden  wisdom  of  the  affection  or 
love-principle,  the  province  of  the  cerebellum,  whose  act- 
ings are  termed  involuntary  wholly  with  reference  to  the 
volitive  determinations  of  the  understanding,  but  which 
in  reality  involve  the  operations  of  a  will  as  interior  to 
the  mere  intellect  as  the  soul  is  to  the  body. 
If,  then,  the  influx  of  the  Divine  love  is  more  especi- 


298 


SLEEP. 


ally  into  the  recipient  human  love,  and  this  influx  takes 
place  during  sleep,  it  may  be  fairly  submitted  as  a  ques- 
tion, whether  the  renovation  of  the  system — the  life  and 
tone  imparted  to  it — in  the  hours  of  repose  be  not  owing 
mainly  to  this  source.  Nothing  is  more  clearly  taught 
by  the  teacher  of  the  New  Church,  than  that  a  man's 
love  is  the  "fire  of  his  life,"  that  the  vital  heat  of  every 
human  being  is  his  life's  love  ;  and  as  this  love  manifests 
itself  by  heat,  and  heat  is  intimately  related  to  the  elec- 
tric or  galvanic  element  which  seems  to  be  that  that  acts 
upon  the  nerves,  it  may  perhaps  be  reasonably  suggest- 
ed that  this  added  nocturnal  influx  is  one  great  means  of 
furnishing  to  the  cerebrum  that  measure  of  vital  energy 
which  is  requisite  to  stimulate  the  organs  of  voluntary 
motion  into  their  iiill  activity.  One  thing,  I  think  we 
may  pronounce  as  certain — that  every  one's  ruling  love 
is  more  vivid  and  stirring  in  the  earlier  hours  of 
the  day.  With  what  spirit  and  alacrity  does  the  mer- 
chant, the  mechanic,  and  the  professional  man  enter 
upon  the  labors  of  the  day  in  the  moruing  compared 
with  the  lassitude  and  dullness  of  the  evening.  But  this, 
it  will  perhaps  be  said,  i.s  owing  to  the  ix'freshment  ol 
sleep  during  the  night,  v.  hich  has  wound  up  the  spiing 
of  action  that  had  run  down  in  the  day  time.  Granting 
this  to  be  the  case,  still  we  ask,  hoxo  does  sleep  accom- 
plish this?  What  is  the  cause  and  the  process?  This 
is  the  very  question  I  ani  considering.  We  all  admit 
that  there  is  a  heightened  activity  of  the  ruling  love 
after  sleep.  Is  this  an  eilect  of  the  repaired  energies  of 
nature,  or  a  cause  ?  I  would  venture  to  maintain,  on 
the  ground  of  the  New  Church  philosophy,  that  the 
nervous  and  muscular  vigor  which  follows  sleep  is  owing 
to  the  Divine  vital  influx  into  the  love-principle  during 
the  night  season.  Certain  it  is,  the  increased  supply  of 
nervous  influence  must  come  from  some  source.  Grant 
that  it  may  be  somewhat  accumulated  from  the  atmos- 
pheric auras  by  which  we  are  surrounded,  yet  will  this 
so  adequately  account  for  the  effect  as  the  supposition  of 
a  more  copious  inflowing  of  that  life  from  the  infinite 


SLEEP. 


299 


fountain  which  comes  in  connection  with  the  heat  of 
love,  that  celestial  element  that  opens  closed  vessels  and 
pours  a  vivifying  current  over  the  nervous  organization? 

That  there  is  something  peculiarly  benignant,  salutary, 
and  sanatory  in  this  influx  during  sleep,  may  be  inferred 
from  tiie  fact  of  its  healing  and  restoring  effects  in  dis- 
ease. Nothing  is  better  known  than  the  genial  and 
health-restoring  power  of  sleep  upon  many  forms  of  dis- 
e  ise.  The  aim  of  the  physician  in  prescribing  medicine 
is  often  in  tlie  first  instance  not  to  act  directly  upon  the 
disease,  but  upon  the  system  in  such  a  way  as  to  induce 
sleej).  When  sleep  is  procured  and  the  cerebrum  goes 
into  abeyance,  then  the  cerebellum  is  awake  and  busy 
in  its  restorative  and  invigorating  processes.  This  is  the 
true  family  physician — always  at  hand — and  always 
ready  to  do  his  work  without  fee  or  reward.  And  so 
effective  is  this  agency  of  the  cerebelluna  that  frequent- 
ly no  other  remedy  is  needed  than  its  own  kindly  action, 
jiow  as  this  action  of  the  cerebellum  must  be  an  effect 
of  some  superior  cause,  I  would  ask  whether  in  view  of 
the  Divine  benevolence,  there  is  anything  more  proba- 
ble than  that  it  is  due  to  tiie  bland  and  healing  potency 
of  that  divine  meiUoamen  which  comes  in  the  train  of 
the  influent  life  and  love  of  the  Lord  ?  Men  may  satis- 
fy themselves  with  saying  that  this  is  a  law  of  nature — 
a  law  of  the  animal  economy--and  smile  the  smile  of 
pity  and  contempt  at  every  endeavur  to  penetrate  deeper 
into  the  essential  causes  of  things,  but  this  does  not  satis- 
fy the  enligiitened  man  of  the  New  Church.  He  is 
taught  that  there  is  no  impiety  and  no  impossibility  in 
lifting  the  veil  and  looking  in  upon  the  hidden  dynamics 
of  the  spiritual  and  celestial  worlds  as  they  flow  into 
and  permeate  and  actuate  the  natural  world.  Resting  as 
they  do  in  the  firm  assurance  that  all  derived  and  de- 
pendent life  in  the  universe  is  momentarily  sustained  by 
influx  from  its  Divine  Authoi',  they  cannot  shrink  from 
any  fair  inference  from  this  fundamental  doctrine,  and 
they  know  nothing  of  complimenting  the  Creator  out  of 
his  own  dominions  under  the  pretence  that  he  may  pro- 


300 


SLEEP. 


perly  leave  its  aftairs  to  be  administered  by  the  agency 
of  certain  vicegerent  laws,  instead  of  allowing  himself  to 
be  perplexed  with  what  Cudworth  terms  "  the  infinite 
negotiosity"  that  must  oppress  his  intelligence. 

Having  thus  endeavored  to  developc  in  some  measure 
the  laws  of  the  animal  economy  on  Avhich  the  more  pal- 
pable phenomena  of  sleep  depend  ;  having  laid  open  to 
some  extent,  the  several  functions  of  the  cerebrum  and 
cerebellum  in  carrying  on  the  various  processes  which 
mark  the  two  diverse  conditions  of  sleeping  and  waking; 
having  shown  that  the  voluntary  movements  of  the  sys- 
tem are  governed  by  the  cerebrum  and  the  involuntary 
by  the  cerebellum — the  one  prevailing  during  the  day, 
the  other  during  the  night ;  having  taken  occasion  also 
to  remark  that  on  the  principles  laid  down  by  Sweden- 
borg  we  ai-e  taught  to  believe  that  the  influx  of  the  Divine 
Love  or  Life  is  more  especially  into  the  cerebellum  as  re- 
presenting the  emotional  or  aftection  principle  of  our  na- 
ture, and  that  from  this  source  really  flows  that  supply  of 
vital  stimulus  which  goes  to  sustain  the  action  of  the  an- 
terior brain  and  its  various  dependences  during  the  wak- 
ing and  working  hours  of  day — it  now  remains  to  pursue 
the  subject  to  some  of  its  ulterior  results,  embracing 
among  other  things  the  phenomena  of  dreams.  But  be- 
fore I  come  to  this  point  there  are  one  or  two  important 
items  to  be  disposed  of;  and  first,  I  observe  that  paramount 
question  in  regard  to  sleep  is,  what  becomes  of  the  intel- 
ligence during  the  sleeping  state  ?  To  say  that  it  is  dor- 
mant— that  it  is  in  a  state  of  abeyance — merely  states  a 
fact  without  affording  a  solution.  The  grand  property  of 
the  intellect  is  thought,  and  we  seem  to  have  an  instinc- 
tive perception  that  thought  in  its  very  nature  is  always 
active,  and  incapable  of  sleep.  The  idea  of  mind  which 
does  not  incessantly  think,  strikes  us  like  the  idea  of  light 
which  does  not  shine,  or  of  fire  which  does  not  burn.  We 
cannot  well  think  of  light  ceasing  to  shine  in  any  other 
way  than  of  being  completely  extinguished.  So  of 
thought  which  ceases  to  think.  Must  it  not  sufier  ex- 
tinction ?  Here  then  is  the  problem.   We  have  reason  to 


SLEEP. 


301 


suppose,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the  mind  is  essentially  ac- 
tive, and  on  the  other,  that  the  function  of  conscious  or 
voluntary  thought  is  actually  suspended  during  our  sleep- 
ing moments.  How  is  this  to  be  accounted  for  ?  In  other 
words,  what  is  the  precise  psychological  state  of  the  under- 
standing in  sleep  ?  We  may  describe  the  state  of  the  brain 
in  that  condition  with  the  utmost  accuracy,  and  say  that  it 
loses  its  tension — its  erect  state — that  it  suffers  a  kind  of 
relaxation  or  collapse,  but  this  does  not  explain  the  mental 
phenomena  in  the  case.  The  mind  does  not  collapse,  for  it 
is  not  composed  of  substance  to  which  that  term  can  prop- 
erly be  applied.  Again,  then,  we  put  the  question,  in  what 
state  is  the  understanding  or  intelligence  during  sleep  ?  It 
is  certainly  some  way  in  abeyance.  What  has  happened 
to  it  ?  What  has  become  of  it  ?  It  does  not  act  through  the 
medium  of  the  senses.  You  may  raise  the  eye-lids  of  a 
sleeping  person  and  present  any  object  before  the  eye, 
and  it  is  not  seen.  There  is  no  more  vision  than  there  is 
at  a  window,  when  there  is  no  eye  there  to  look  out.  A  per- 
son standing  at  a  window  will  see  a  procession  passing 
by  in  the  street,  but  if  he  withdraws  from  the  window 
or  the  room  to  the  rear  of  the  house,  the  spectacle  of 
course  is  not  seen.  The  seeing  power  or  agent  has  retired 
— he  is  not  there.  When  a  man  is  awake  his  spirit  may 
be  said  to  be  at  the  window  of  his  house.  It  takes  cog- 
nizance of  the  external  world  through  the  avenues  of 
sight,  hearing,  smell,  &c.  It  is  alive  and  alert ;  it  is  pre- 
sent at  its  outposts.  But  in  sleep  it  is  the  reverse.  The 
windows  and  the  doors  are  there  and  it  may  be  are  open. 
But  the  tenant  is  apparently  not  there,  and  it  is  a  fair 
question,  what  has  become  of  him  ?  Is  he  not  really  ab- 
sent ?  In  other  words,  do  not  the  voluntary  powers  of  in- 
telligence and  action  retire  from  their  usual  seat,  the  an- 
terior region  of  the  brain,  and  gather  themselves  into 
some  more  interior  recess  of  the  body  ?  What  that  hid- 
den apartment  is  I  shall  soon  suggest ;  meanwhile  1  offer 
the  conjecture  that  in  sleep  the  life  of  the  intellect  is  tem- 
porarily merged  in  that  of  the  affections.  This  we  sub- 
mit as  the  true  solution  of  the  problem  of  sleep.  The 


302 


SLEEP. 


understanding  sinks  conjugiallj  into  the  bosom  of  the 
will  during  that  mysterious  syncope  of  its  functions.  As 
the  tender  brood  at  night  gather  themselves  under  the 
wing  of  the  mother  bird,  so  the  thoughts  collect  them- 
selves imder  the  panoply  of  the  inward  life  of  love.  Or 
as  the  numerous  passengers  on  board  a  floating  palace  on 
one  of  our  great  western  rivers,  after  roving  over  the 
boat  and  promenading  the  deck  during  the  day,  retreat 
at  the  hour  of  rest  to  their  dormitories  in  the  lower  ca- 
bin, so  the  busy  powers  of  the  understanding,  which 
have  traversed  the  fields  of  creation  or  the  walks  of  busi- 
ness during  the  day,  descend  at  night  into-the  depths  of  the 
soul,  beyond  the  range  of  the  exterior  consciousness,  and 
thei-e  seek  the  refreshing  tranquillity  of  that  hallowed 
inner  chamber  which  is  the  resort  of  celestial  visitants, 
and  where  all  the  choicer  things  of  the  spirit  are  stored 
up.  And  as  all  the  complicated  machinery  that  propels 
the  boat  is  constantly  at  workwliile  the  passengers  court 
repose  in  their  berths,  so  the  understanding  sinks  into  its 
sleep,  if  we  may  so  term  it,  while  all  the  vital  enginery 
of  the  body  is  in  unceasing  operation. 

But  the  inquiry  here  urges  itself,  if  the  understanding 
retires,  during  sleep,  from  the  cerebrum,  whither  does  it 
retire?  Is  there  any  other  brain  in  the  body  which  will 
hospitably  entertain  it  as  a  guest  during  the  night?  We 
are  aware  of  the  difficulty  of  conveying  correct  ideas  of 
spiritual  functions  by  applying  to  them  terms  appropriate 
to  material  subjects.  There  is  perhaps  somewhat  incon- 
gruous to  the  nature  of  the  mind  in  speaking  of  its  trans- 
location from  one  portion  of  the  body  to  another,  and  yet 
it  is  a  well  known  fact,  there  is  a  great  nervous  centre, 
termed  the  Solar  Plexus,  sometimes  termed  a  second 
hrain^  situated  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  stomach, 
and  to  which,  in  certain  conditions,  the  seat  of  sensation 
is  undoubtedly  transferred.  It  is  well  known  that  in  the 
mesmeric  sleep  what  is  termed  the  jrit  of  the  stomach  be- 
comes, as  it  were,  the  substitute  of  the  brain,  and  persons 
in  that  condition  will  assure  us  that  they  botli  see  and 
hear  from  that  region.    There  is,  to  all  appearance,  for 


SLEEP 


303 


the  timo,  a  tcrtiisfer  of  tbo  sensorium  tVoiu  the  brain  to 
this  inferior  province  of  the  body,  and  it  is  hither,  as  we 
incline  to  believe,  that  the  intelligence  betakes  itself,  as  to 
a  dorinitorj',  during  the  hours  of  repose.  I  am  well 
aware  that  a  somewhat  minute  knowledge  of  anatomy  is 
needed  to  do  full  justice  to  this  suggestion  ;  but  as  the 
tact  is  uncpiestionable  that  there  is  an  apparent  recession 
of  the  understanding  from  its  ordinary  tenement,  is  it  in- 
dulging unduly  the  spirit  of  hypothesis  to  suggest  that  it 
travels  downward  along  the"  nervous  pathway  of  the 
Medulla  Oblongata^  and  having  reached  its  goal  pernoc- 
tates  there  in  the  solar  sanctum  of  the  thorax  ? 

Shall  this  be  accounted  a  mere  vagary  of  fancy — a 
theory  as  idle  as  many  of  the  phantasms  which  play 
through  the  mind  when  subdued  by  the  opiates  of  Mor- 
pheus? Look  at  the  analogies  of  nature.  Do  not  the 
juices  of  plants  sink  during  the  night  towards  the  roots 
and  rise  again  in  the  morning?  How  is  it  else  that  the 
morning  glory  closes  its  petals  in  the  night  season  and 
opens  them  to  the  solar  beams  in  the  morning  ?  The  ve- 
getative life  which  retired  downwards  daring  the  night 
rises  up  again  as  the  light  of  day  greets  it. 

How  easy,  then,  how  fair  and  legitimate  the  inference, 
that  the  intellectual  department  of  our  being  w-'-hdraws 
itself  inwardly  during  sleep  and  enters  into  conjunction 
with  the  more  latent  life  of  the  will  or  affection,  and  thus 
brings  itself  more  fully  within  the  range  of  that  influx 
of  the  Divine  Life  and  Love  which  comes  especially  in 
contact  with  the  inner  essential  element  of  existence, 
which  is  the  aftection.  It  is  there  or  thence,  if  we  mis- 
take not,  that  the  wearied  powers  of  thought  obtain  the 
renewal  of  their  activity,  and  this  is  communicated  to 
the  brain ;  so  that  instead  of  the  brain's  being  refreshed 
and  invigorated  by  sleep  and  imparting  this  vigor  to  the 
mind,  the  process  is  directly  the  reverse  ;  it  is  the  reno- 
vation of  the  mental  powers  actpiircd  during  their  so- 
journ in  the  sanctuary  of  the  atiections,  that  imparts  new 
vigor  and  activity  to  the  brain  ;  for  every  one  acquainted 
with  the  true  doctrine  of  influx  knows  t'nat  its  inflow  is 


304 


SLKEr. 


not  from  the  natural  to  the  spiritual,  but  from  the  spirit- 
ual to  the  natural.  As  it  is  not  then  the  brain  which 
quickens  the  intellect  in  the  morning,  but  the  intellect 
which  gives  tone  to  the  brain,  how  does  the  intellect  ac- 
quire this  new  stock  of  vitality  but  from  the  new  supply  of 
influx  which  it  receives  while  thus  indrawn  into  closer 
communion  with  the  interior  life  presided  over  by  the 
regency  of  the  cerebellum  ? 

We  have  here  then,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  very  impor- 
tant solution  of  one  of  the  most  striking  phenomena  of 
sleep ;  and  although  we  do  not  find  it  enunciated  in  so 
many  words  by  Swedenborg,  yet  it  is  fully  authorized,  as 
we  conceive,  by  what  he  does  teach  respecting  the  doc- 
trine of  influx.  It  is  a  clear  deduction  from  very  clear 
premises  abounding  in  his  writings.  We  may  accord- 
ingly see  in  this  view  anotlier  analogy  between  Sleep  and 
Death.  In  death,  Swedenborg  informs  us,  "  the  vital 
substances  are  separated  from  the  man,  in  whatever  part 
tlipy  are,  even  if  they  were  enclosed  in  a  thousand  intricate 
windings."  So  in  sleep,  the  image  of  death,  the  per- 
meating thought  is  drawn  in  from  all  its  ramifications 
through  the  anterior  brain  into  the  interior  life  of  the  soul, 
and  then  is  raised  up  again  into  a  kind  of  spiritual  resur- 
rection. 

Such  then  we  suppose  to  be  the  true  philosophy  as  it 
relates  to  the  mental  faculties.  It  is  a  retiring,  or  with- 
drawing, or  indrawing,  of  the  external  man  into  the  in- 
ternal. The  suspension  of  thought  is  rather  apparent 
than  real.  It  is  somewhat  like  the  sun,  which  appears  to 
set,  but  really  does  not.  The  understanding,  in  that  mys- 
terious pause  of  its  conscious  activity,  merely  enters,  for 
the  time,  into  closer  conjunction  with  the  will,  just  as  we 
might  suppose  the  blood  of  the  lungs  to  be  drawn  into 
the  heart.  Look  again  at  the  subject  by  the  light  of 
analogy.  Is  not  the  endeared  intercourse  and  domiciliary 
cohabitation  of  married  partners  an  ultimate  of  interior 
principles,  and  what  are  these  principles  but  Love  and 
Wisdom,  or  Will  and  Understanding?  And  how  much 
short  of  a  direct  sanction  to  this  idea  is  the  following 


SLEEP. 


305 


paragraph  from  the  treatise  on  the  "  Divine  Love  and 
Wisdom"  (n.  402): 

"  That  love  or  the  will  prepares  a  home  or  bridal  apartment,  for  a 
future  spouse,  which  is  wisdom  or  the  understanding.  In  the  created 
universe  and  all  its  parts,  there  is  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth,  and 
this,  because  good  is  of  love  and  truth  is  of  wisdom,  and  these  two  are 
in  the  Lord,  by  whom  all  things  were  created.  How  this  marriage 
exists  in  man  may  be  seen,  as  in  a  glass,  in  the  conjunction  of  the  heart 
with  the  lungs ;  for  the  heart  corresponds  to  love  or  good,  and  the 
lungs  to  wisdom  or  truth.  From  that  conjunction  it  may  be  seen,  how 
love  or  the  will,  betroths  to  it  wisdom  or  the  understanding,  and  after- 
wards takes  it  to  wife,  or  marries  it :  love  betroths  wisdom,  in  that  it 
prepares  a  house  or  bridal  apartment  for  wisdom,  and  it  takes  wisdom 
to  wife,  in  that  it  conjoins  it  to  itself  by  afiections,  and  then  operates 
wisdom  with  it  in  that  house.  That  it  is  so  cannot  be  fully  described, 
except  in  spiritual  language,  because  love  and  wisdom,  and  the  will 
and  understanding,  are  spiritual  things,  which  indeed  may  be  set  forth 
in  natural  language,  but  only  obscurely  to  the  perception,  because  of 
the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  love  and  wisdom,  and  also  of 
the  aflfections  of  good,  and  of  the  affections  of  wisdom,  which  are 
affections  of  truth.  But  yet  the  nature  of  the  betrothing  and  mar- 
riage of  love  and  wisdom,  or  of  the  will  and  understanding,  may  be 
seen  by  the  parallelism  that  exists  by  virtue  of  their  correspondence 
with  the  heart  and  lungs.  It  is  the  same  with  the  latter  as  with  the 
former ;  so  much  so,  that  there  is  no  difference,  except  that  one  is 
spiritual  and  the  other  natural.  From  the  heart,  therefore,  and  the 
lungs,  it  is  evident,  that  the  heart  first  forms  the  lungs,  and  afterwards 
conjoins  itself  to  them ;  it  forms  the  lungs  in  the  foetus,  and  conjoins 
itself  to  them  after  birth  :  this  the  heart  does  in  its  house,  the  breast, 
where  their  dwelling-place  is,  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  body  by  a 
partition,  called  the  diaphragm,  and  by  a  membrane  enclosing  them, 
called  the  pleura.  It  is  the  same  with  love  and  wisdom,  or  with  the 
will  and  understanding." 

In  accordance  with  this  analogy,  what  more  rational 
than  that  this  spiritual  conjugial  pair  should  more  espe- 
cially abide  together  when  the  shades  of  night  preclude 
the  activity  of  the  understanding  from  putting  itself  forth 
in  the  sphere  of  the  outer  world.  And  so,  to  resume 
again  the  comparison  of  the  sun,  the  understanding  may 
be  said  to  be  in  the  morning  "  as  a  bridegroom  coming 
out  of  his  chamber  and  rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to  run 
a  race."  This  race  he  runs  in  the  active  businesses  and 
duties  of  the  day. 


300 


SLEEP. 


Taking  now  for  granted  the  truth  of  what  Swedenborg 
teaches  respectuig  the  two  great  constituents  of  our  na- 
ture, and  their  inter-rehition  with  eacli  other,  we  can  no 
doubt  perceive  that  tlie  more  perfectly  they  can  act  to- 
gether, the  higher  is  the  psychological  state  of  the  being. 
The  man  is  then  more  in  the  state  of  a  disembodied  spirit, 
and  the  more  perfect  are  the  mental  processes  that  often 
take  place  during  one's  sleeping  hours.  Consequently 
all  his  faculties  are  heightened  greatly  above  the  natural 
plane  of  their  operation.  Every  process  is  carried  on 
with  a  clearness  and  vividness  and  rajiidity,  of  which  we 
ordinarily  have  no  conception.  All  the  mental  powers 
are  quickened,  acuminated,  and  intensified  to  an  astonish- 
ing degree,  so  that  in  that  state  one  can  perceive  more  in 
one  minute  than  he  could  utter  by  the  lips  in  many 
hours. 

Now  in  regard  to  the  affections  and  the  intellect,  while 
we  do  not  say  that  they  ever  act  in  entire  separation  from 
each  other,  for  this  is  just  as  impossible  as  that  the  heart 
and  lungs  should  act  separately  from  each  other,  we  yet 
maintain  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  more  intimate 
conjunction  than  ordinary  of  these  two  distinguishing 
princip)les,  and  that  this  takes  place  in  sleep,  the  conse- 
quence of  which  is  a  more  than  usually  exalted  state  of 
the  inner  man — more  vivid  conceptions — more  luminous 
perceptions — and  in  fine  a  more  sublimated  and  spiritual 
state  of  the  soul.  Especially  are  we  taught  to  believe 
that  the  understanding  by  coming  into  the  interior  life 
of  the  Vvill  comes  into  the  sphere  of  the  interior  memory. 
In  this  memory  are  treasured  up  all  the  more  sacred 
archives  of  a  man's  moral  history.  And  only  think 
■what  an  accumulation  is  there  of  indestructible  materi- 
als lodged  in  this  inner  repository  of  the  sj^irit,  from 
which  not  one  item  perishes  to  all  eternity.  This  is  the 
book  of  every  man's  life  which  is  hereafter  to  be  opened, 
and  out  of  which  he  is  to  be  judged. 

Taking  this  as  a  fact  for  granted,  that  there  is  this 
deeper  and  more  internal  memory  in  every  man,  we 
shall  be  able,  I  think,  to  account  for  a  well-known  psy- 


SLEEP. 


307 


chological  fact  in  regard  to  the  sensations  of  drowning 
persons.  Js'o  fact  is  better  established  than  that  in  the 
crisis  of  snftbcatiou  there  is  a  wonderful  waking  up  of 
the  memory,  so  that  oftentimes  the  entire  train  of  one's 
history  even  from  early  childhood,  is  vividly  recalled  in 
its  minutest  items.  Now  the  question  is,  how  is  this  fact 
to  be  accounted  for  i  Let  us  see  if  we  cannot  reach  the 
solution  by  tracing  the  process  physiologically.  In  the 
first  place!^  the  stomach  is  filled  with  water,  and  by  the 
atmospherical  air  being  excluded  respiration  is  extin- 
guished, and  when  a  man  ceases  to  respire  he  ceases  to 
think,  according  to  the  common  laws  of  thought ;  for 
Swedenborg  has  shown  that  the  action  of  the  lungs  has 
just  as  much  relation  to  the  power  of  the  thought  as 
that  of  the  heart  has  to  the  exercise  of  aflection,  the 
heart  corresponding  to  the  love,  and  the  lungs  to  the 
understanding.  The  lungs,  then,  ceasing  to  act,  the 
power  of  thought  and  sensation  recedes  from  the  cere- 
brum, and  retreats  inwardly  to  the  will,  and  there  coming 
in  contact,  so  to  speak,  with  the  central  love  or  life,  every 
perception  becomes  vivid  and  the  internal  memory 
awakes,  and  so  heightened  is  the  activity  of  every  power, 
and  so  amazingly  rapid  every  movement  of  the  mind,  that 
a  whole  life  seems  to  be  arrayed  before  one  as  in  a  moment. 
At  the  same  time,  persons  in  these  circumstances  gene- 
rally say  they  experience  no  pain  when  in  the  midst  of 
their  revived  recollections.  The  reason  is  doubtless  the 
same  as  that  which  prevents  us  from  feeling  bodily  sen- 
sations in  our  sleep.  The  sentient  power  is  departed 
from  the  brain  with  the  thinking  power,  and  as  in  the 
case  of  plenary  magnetism  all  the  outer  senses  and  the 
nervous  sensibility  are  in  abeyance.  But  they  feel  great 
pain  in  being  brought  to,  because  the  power  of  sensation 
is  then  returning  to  the  brain. 

The  state  of  drowning,  then,  we  perceive  is  strikingly 
analogous,  in  several  respects,  to  the  state  of  sleep,  and 
I  adduce  it  in  this  connection  solely  in  order  to  illustrate 
and  confirm  my  main  position  in  regard  to  the  actual 
state  of  the  intellect  during  sleep  as  having  retired  from 


308 


SLEEP. 


the  outer  to  the  inner  chambers  of  the  soul,  and  there 
having  merged  and  conjoined  itself  with  the  more  in- 
terior and  essential  principles  of  life.  One  can  hardly 
refuse  to  admit  that  it  rests  upon  something  more  stable 
than  mere  hypothesis.  We  see  here  the  testimony  of 
positive  facts,  and  if  any  theory  will  fully  and  adequate- 
ly account  for  the  facts  involved  in  it,  why  is  it  not  en- 
titled to  take  its  place,  as  a  genuine  scientific  induction  ? 

But  we  proceed  to  some  ulterior  phases  of  the  general 
subject  with  a  view  to  certain  important  results. 

The  state  of  sleep  is  not  properly  of  the  body.  In- 
deed, what  is  there  of  the  body  that  really  sleeps  ?  Are 
not  all  its  functions  going  on  as  usual  ?  Does  not  the 
heart  beat  ?  Do  not  the  lungs  heave  ?  Does  not  the 
stomach  and  the  digestive  apparatus  keep  in  active 
operation  during  the  night  as  well  as  the  day  ?  There  is 
doubtless  some  degree  of  relaxation  in  some  of  the 
structures,  but  this  does  not  amount  to  sleep.  The  body 
sleeps  only  in  death.  What  is  it,  then,  that  does  sleep  ? 
We  have  already  seen  that  the  most  interior  principles 
of  our  being,  the  afiections  and  emotions,  ruled  by  the 
cerebellum,  do  not  sleep.  Here,  then,  we  have  the  most 
interior  and  the  most  exterior  portions  of  our  nature  ex- 
empt from  the  operation  of  this  mysterious  law.  It  is 
some  middle  principle — something  tltiat  is  interior  to  the 
body  and  yet  exterior  to  the  inmost  mind — which  feels  the 
touch  of  the  leaden  sceptre  of  Somnus.  Now  that  there 
is  an  external  to  the  inmost  of  every  man,  spirit,  and 
angel,  is  among  the  most  emphatic  teachings  of  the 
revelations  of  the  New  Church.  To  this  external  or 
physical  principle  the  senses  by  which  we  are  related 
to  the  outward  world,  belong  ;  and  the  senses,  we  know, 
are  especially  sealed  up  in  sleep.  But  if  this  external, 
which  is  not  the  body,  may  sleep  m  the  body,  what 
sufficient  reason  can  be  given  why  it  should  not  sleep 
out  of  the  body  ?  That  is  to  say,  in  other  words,  that 
spirits  are  equally  subject  to  the  law  of  sleep  as  man  ? 
This  would  no  doubt  strike  one  at  first  blush  as  a  very 
strange  and  astounding  announcement ;  but  think  of  the 


SLKEP. 


309 


grounds  of  it.  A  spirit  certainly  iias  an  internal  and 
an  external,  and  as  it  is  the  external  whicli  sleeps  in  this 
world,  why  should  it  not  sleep  also  in  the  next  ?  The 
psychical  powers  even  of  an  angel  cannot  remain  forever 
strung  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  activity  without  some 
remission.  There  must  be  alternate  seasons  of  action 
and  repose.  Whj^  not  then  of  sleeping  and  waking  ? 
And  what  can  reasonably  be  objected  to  the  statement 
of  Swedenborg  that  follows  ? 

"  Certain  souls,  fresh  arrived  from  the  world,  who  desire  to  see  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  before  they  are  in  such  a  state  as  to  be  capable  of 
beholding  it,  are  cast,  as  to  their  exterior  senses  and  inferior  faculties, 
into  a  kind  of  sweet  sleep,  and  then  their  interior  senses  and  faculties 
are  raised  into  an  extraordinary  degree  of  wakefulness,  and  thus  they 
are  let  into  the  glory  of  heaven.  But  as  soon  as  wakefulness  is  re- 
stored to  the  exterior  senses  and  faculties,  they  return  to  their  former 
state."— J.  C.  1982. 

We  have  here  an  important  clue  as  to  the  true  rationale 
of  dreams.  The  external  of  a  sj^irit  is  laid  asleep  and 
then  his  internal  is  developed,  and  comes  into  converse 
with  celestial  things.  There  is  tlie  waking  up  of  a  more 
interior  man,  which  then  enjoys  mere  interior  senses. 
So  in  the  sleep  of  a  man's  external  there  is  a  similar 
waking  up  of  interior  perceptions,  by  which  we  hold  con- 
verse with  the  objects  and  scenery  of  the  spiritual  world. 
It  matters  not  that  we  call  this  the  working  of  the  ima- 
gination in  sleep.  We  affix,  for  the  most  part,  but  very 
little  definite  meaning  to  the  word  imagination.  It  ex- 
presses our  ignorance  rather  than  our  knowledge.  It  is 
simply  the  name  of  a  mental  phenomenon  of  the  true 
nature  of  which  we  have  ordinarily  but  little  conception. 
What  we  know  is,  that  we  are  conscious  of  beholding 
objects  as  distinctly  as  in  our  waking  state,  and  yet  it  is 
with  an  eye  wholly  different  from  the  outward  or  natu- 
ral eye ;  and  sounds  are  heard  with  another  than  the 
natural  ear.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  objects  seen 
and  heard  are  within  ourselves,  and  yet  they  are  appar- 
ently projected  outwardly  and  are  objectively  beheld. 
See,  then,  in  this  a  proof  irresistible,  that  there  are  in- 
27^ 


310 


SLEEP, 


ward  and  spiritual  senses,  and  that  the  shaking  off  of 
this  mortal  coil  leaves  the  man  a  perfectly  organized  be- 
ing, endowed  with  perceptive  powers  completely  adapt- 
ed to  the  objects  with  which  he  is  there  surroimded.  As 
the  senses  there  are  spiritual,  the  objects  are  spiritual,  and 
yet  substantial ;  for  to  say  that  an  eye,  whether  natural  or 
spiritual,  sees  anything  that  is  not  a  substance,  is  to  say 
that  it  sees  nothing.  What,  then,  are  the  phenomena  of 
dreaming,  but  a  standing  and  living  demonstration  of 
the  truth  of  another  life,  and  a  nightly  recurring  speci- 
men of  the  mode  of  existence  in  that  life  ?  Shall  we 
not  recognize  in  this,  then,  another  moral  end  of  the  or- 
dinance of  sleep  ?  It  is  to  naturalize  us  beforehand  to 
citizenship  in  another  country,  in  which  we  are  ere  long 
to  take  up  our  abode.  It  is  to  afford  us  preliminary 
glimpses  of  that  world  which  is  soon  to  open  upon  us 
with  all  that  is  blissful  or  baleful,  according  as  we  have 
treasured  up  within  ourselves  the  material  which  shall 
develop  itself  in  the  beatific  surroundings  of  the  angels 
or  the  hideous  environments  of  the  infernals.  Viewed 
in  this  light,  our  sleep  introduces  us  into  the  true  world 
of  reality  and  stability.  We  here  awake  into  the  land  of 
dreams  and  shadows.  The  two  states,  to  an  intelligent 
apprehension,  change  their  character.  In  the  image  of 
death  we  find  the  true  theatre  of  life.  It  is  only  in  the 
world  around  us  that  we  walk  in  a  vain  show — intoxi- 
cating our  senses  with  a  wild  phantasmagoria,  except 
just  so  far  as  the  life  and  joy  and  honor  and  glory  of  the 
spirit- world  is  the  end  of  action,  affection,  acquisition, 
and  thought. 

But  to  return  to  the  topic  of  the  sleeping  of  spirits  in 
the  other  life.  Recent  souls,  it  appears,  or  souls  recent- 
ly transferred  to  the  spirit-world,  have  their  external  or 
lower  faculties  cast  into  a  deep  sleep,  and,  in  that  con- 
dition, an  influx  is  received  into  their  interior  minds,  re- 
vealing to  them  the  glories  of  heaven.  How  does 
this  differ  from  dreaming  ?  But  are  not  these  views  of 
heavenly  glory  insinuated  by  angels  and  the  superior 
orders  of  spiritual  beings  ?    Swedenborg  teaches  that,  as 


SLEEP. 


311 


one  class  of  spirits  is  flowing  into  the  minds  of  men  on 
earth,  so  others  of  higher,  that  is  more  interior,  genius 
flow  into  them:  and  if  a  dream  be  pi'oduced  in  the 
mind  of  a  spirit  by  another  higher  spirit  flowing  in,  it 
surely  is  not  diflicult  to  conceive  that  a  dream  may  be 
excited  by  a  spirit  of  the  spiritual  world  in  the  mind  of 
one  who  is  yet  abiding  in  the  flesh.  "We  may,  then,  for 
the  present,  set  it  down  as  a  sound  conclusion,  that 
dreams  are,  at  least  sometimes,  produced  by  the  action 
of  minds  in  another  world,  put  forth  upon  minds  in  this 
world.  As  the  spiritual  part  of  man's  nature  is  more 
fully  developed  in  that  state  ;  as  his  interiors  are  then 
comparatively  opened,  spirits  and  angels  have  more 
sensible  access  to  the  soul  in  dreams  than  at  other  times, 
and  this  we  are  given  to  understand  is  one  reason  why 
such  peculiar  guardianship  is  exercised  over  man  in  his 
sleep  to  keep  away  the  infestations  of  evil  spirits.  The 
state  of  sleep  is  a  state  of  peculiar  exposure  to  malign 
influences  emanating  from  the  other  world,  of  which  we 
are  sufiiciently  advised  in  the  following  extracts.  "  Evil 
spirits  have  the  greatest  and  most  burning  desire  to  in- 
fest and  assault  man  during  sleep  ;  but  he  is  then  par- 
ticularly under  the  Lord's  keeping ;  for  love  never 
sleeps.  The  spirits  who  infest  are  miserably  punished." 
Again  he  says,  "  I  have  been  instructed  that  there  is  a 
necessity  that  man  should  sleep  in  safety,  for  otherwise 
the  human  race  would  perish." 

This  state  of  sleep,  therefore,  is  one  that  calls  for  a 
special  tutelage  on  the  part  of  Infinite  Love  towards  his 
dependent  children.  He  accordingly  takes  them  in 
that  state  into  his  own  immediate  care  and  keeping. 
As  a  fond  parent  who  wakes  and  watches  over  a  sleep- 
ing child  that  is  in  any  circumstances  of  peril,  while 
lying  defenceless  in  its  cradle,  so  the  Lord  sets,  as  it 
were,  a  double  guard  around  his  children  while  buried 
in  repose,  thus  enabling  us  to  see  a  new  emphasis  in  the 
words  of  the  Psalmist,  "  so  He  giveth  his  beloved  sleep." 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  Divine  Cerebellum,  keeping  its 
everlasting  vigils,  was  incessantly  doing  that  for  the 


312 


SLEEP. 


moral  universe  in  this  respect  which  the  human  cerebel- 
lum is  doinw  for  the  human  economy,  while  its  needful 
slumbers  hold  its  self-protective  powers  in  abeyance. 
How  strikingly  is  this  tutelary  care  set  forth  in  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph  : 

"  The  angelic  spirits  who  dwell  on  the  confines  of  the  paradisiacal 
abodes,  are  they  who  insinuate  delightful  dreams ;  to  whom  is  also 
allotted  the  oflBce  of  watching  over  certain  men  during  sleep,  to  pre- 
vent the  infestations  of  evil  spirits.  This  office  they  discharge  with 
the  utmost  delight,  insomuch  that  there  is  an  emulation  amongst  them 
who  shall  approach  ;  and  they  love  to  excite  in  man  the  joys  and  de- 
lights which  they  observe  in  his  affection  and  temper.  These  angelic 
spirits  are  of  those  who,  in  the  life  of  the  body,  delighted  and  loved,  by 
every  means  and  endeavor,  to  render  the  life  of  others  happy.  They  be- 
long to  the  province  of  the  cerebellum,  because  the  cerebellum,  as  I  have 
learnt,  is  in  a  wakeful  state  during  sleep,  when  the  cerebrum  is  asleep. 
The  men  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church  had  thence  their  dreams,  with  a 
perception  of  what  they  signified  ;  from  whom,  in  a  great  measure, 
came  the  representatives  and  significativcs  of  the  ancients,  under  which 
things  of  a  deep  and  hidden  nature  were  conveyed." — A.  C.  1977. 

The  gratitude  ins])ired  by  this  reflection  upon  the  pecu- 
liar sanctity  pertaining  to  the  state  of  sleep,  and  of  the 
guards  with  which  it  is  fenced  around  by  the  Lord's  protect- 
ing providence,  is  wrought  into  a  more  lively  glow  in  view 
of  the  tender  care  exercised  over  sleeping  infancy.  The 
physical  necessity  which  requires  for  infants  more  sleep 
than  is  needed  by  adults,  delightfully  merges  into  a  spirit- 
ual prerogative,  that  we  can  scarcely  appreciate  as  it  de- 
serves. Infants  are  the  special  subjects  of  the  influx  of 
heaven  tlirough  the  celestial  angels,  audit  is  through  the 
gateway  of  the  cerebellum  that  these  heavenly  visitors 
enter,  and  breathe  the  affections  of  innocence  which  so 
often  lightup  their  little  faces  with  a  radiance  that  amounts 
almost  to  a  transfiguration.  N"o  figure  of  speech,  but  a 
sober  and  actual  verity  do  we  recognize  in  the  saying  that 
finds  vogue  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life,  that  the  sleeping 
smile  of  an  infant  betokens  the  whisper  of  angels.  "  It  has 
been  told  me,"  says  Swedenborg,  "  from  heaven,  that 
infants  are  particularly  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lord, 
and  that  their  influx  is  from  the  inmost  heaven,  where 
there  is  a  state  of  innocence,  and  that  the  influx  passes 


SLEEP. 


313 


through  their  interiors,  and  that  in  passing  through,  it 
afiects  them  by  innocence,  and  that  hence  innocence  is 
exhibited  in  their  faces  and  gestures." 

Finally,  how  precious  the  consideration,  that  this  pro- 
tecting asgisis  spread  before  and  over  all  his  human  family 
without  exception.  That  refreshment  and  invigoration  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  is  imparted  to  all  men  without  dis- 
tinction of  character.  As  the  determining  power  of  the 
will  is  quiescent  during  sleep,  and  men  cannot,  of  set 
purpose,  prevent  or  mal-appropriate  the  influent  divine 
good,  so  there  is  no  doubt  a  benign  influence  thus  exerted 
which  goes  to  moderate  and  restrain  the  wickedness  of 
wicked  men,  while  at  the  same  time  there  is  no  infringe- 
ment of  their  essential  freedom.  How  interesting  the 
thought !  How  endearing  this  view  of  the  divine  benefi- 
cence !  That  the  infinitely  good  and  gracious  Lord  should 
reserve  to  himself  this  mode  of  access  to  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men,  even  the  most  reckless  and  abandoned, 
and  should  gently  distil  upon  them  a  dew  of  heaven  tend- 
ing to  soften  the  obduracy  of  impenitence,  and  check 
the  impetuous  career  of  evil  so  far  as  it  can  be  done 
without  detriment  to  free  agency,  which  is  a  jewel  too 
sacred  to  be  touched  even  by  the  Divine  Donor  himself. 
We  may  not,  it  is  true,  see  this  influence  resulting  in 
regeneration,  which  requires  the  co-operation  of  the  whole 
man  with  all  his  powers,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
state  of  sleep  does  contribute  more  or  less  to  the  ameliora- 
tion and  improvement  of  their  state,  and  that  they  are  at 
any  rate  prevented  from  falling  into  such  depths  of  iniqui- 
ty and  degradation  as  they  are  inclined  to  when  their  evil 
and  infernal  proprium  is  in  full  play. 

Let  us,  then,  bow  in  ever  deepening  and  adoring  ac- 
knowledgment of  those  infinite  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
goodness  which  are  being  continually  poured  out  upon  the 
children  of  men  both  sleeping  and  waking.  Their  afflu- 
ence is  not  more  exhaustless  than  their  effluence  is  un- 
ceasing, and  we  have  only  to  submit  our  souls  to  their 
transforming  power  to  be  enabled  to  say,  "  I  will  both  lay 
me  down  and  sleep,  for  thou  only  makest  me  to  dwell  in 
safety." 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM  REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO 
A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 

[N\  C.  Rcpo3..  April  to  July,  1355.] 

In  the  estimate  formed  of  a  Revelation  professing  to 
have  emanated  from  the  Lord  of  the  Universe,  there  are 
always  difficulties  to  be  met  and  objections  to  be  over- 
come arising  from  the  force  of  inveterate  prejudices, 
connected  with  oar  former  traditional  or  educational  be- 
lief. So  long  as  the  bonds  of  ancestral  dogmas  are  upon 
ns,  and  the  cherished  reminiscences  of  childhood  and 
youth  consecrate  the  creeds  imbibed  at  that  early  period, 
it  is  only  with  the  utmost  effort  that  we  can  so  far  eman- 
cipate our  minds  from  the  influence  of  these  causes  as 
to  bestow  a  candid  consideration  upon  any  system  of 
doctrines  claiming  to  be  of  divine  origin,  when  its  teach- 
ings come  in  conflict  with  our  pre-established  forms  of 
faith.  It  is  evermore  a  rare  achievement  by  which  we 
ascend  beyond  the  ordinary  plane  of  thought,  and  take 
an  intelligent  or  charitable  survey  of  the  religious  do- 
main occupied  by  another  sect.  But  this,  difficult  as  it 
is,  is  easier  than  to  conceive  the  possibility  of  an  entire- 
ly neio  dispensation  of  religious  truth — the  ushering  in 
a  positively  new  era  of  spiritual  knowledge.  Our  religious 
tenets  become  mental  fixtures,  and  we  know  not  how 
to  remove  them,  or  how  to  remove  ourselves  from  them. 
We  are  both  incapacitated  and  intimidated  from  extend- 
ing our  range  of  research  beyond  the  limits  within 
which  it  has  been  usually  confined  ;  and  if  we  are 
tempted  to  venture  out  where  we  have  never  been  be- 
fore— if  we  are  prompted  in  our  intellectual  voyaging  to 
cast  the  plummet  in  unknown  depths,  or  to  double 
strange  headlands  and  promontories  in  our  course — we 
seem  to  experience  a  repetition  of  the  fabled  lot  of 
Vasco  de  Gama,  who,  when  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  on  his  way  to  the  Indies,  was  met  according  to 


THE  N.  C.  SYSTEM  REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DITINE  OEIGIX.  315 

the  poetic  fancy  of  Camoens  by  an  appalling,  weird,  and 
gigantic  form  that  arose  from  the  bosom  of  the  ocean, 
and  awfully  beckoned  back  the  adventurous  navigator, 
who  had  dared  to  transgress  the  boundaries  of  prior  dis- 
covery. So  the  Genius  of  Tradition  may  be  conceived 
as  rising  in  terrific  aspect,  and  frowning  down  every  as- 
piration that  would  prompt  to  a  breaking  away  from  her 
dominion  and  traversing  other  and  unknown  regions. 

But  our  main  position  is,  that  nothing  is  more  difficult 
than  to  conceive  rightly  of,  and  estimate  fairly,  a  form 
of  religious  truth  very  diverse  from  that  in  which  we 
have  been  trained,  and  which  has  received  the  sanction 
of  past  generations  as  well  as  of  the  present.  There  are 
a  thousand  influences  at  work  to  withhold  the  individual 
from  outstripping  the  collective  mind  of  the  age. 

It  may,  however,  be  remarked,  that  the  same  causes 
which  prevent  one  from  appreciating  a  .'system  of  doc- 
trines entirely  new,  operate  also  to  prevent  such  a  sys- 
tem being  originated  in  the  first  instance.  There  is,  in 
the  necessity  of  the  case,  a  certain  limitation  of  the  human 
powers.  They  cannot  rise  indefinitely  high  above  the 
surrounding  level.  Mad.  de  Stael  remarks  that  the  de- 
gree to  which  any  one,  however  highly  gifted,  can  sur- 
pass the  standard  of  his  age,  may  usually  be  measured 
beforehand,  not  precisely,  perhaps,  but  approximately. 

So  in  the  matter  of  a  code  of  religious  doctrines  and 
revelations  promulgated  at  any  particular  era,  and  bear- 
ing on  its  front  the  imprint  of  an  alleged  divine  origin. 
One  mode  of  bringing  such  a  claim  to  the  test  is  to  esti- 
mate the  degree  of  its  advancement  beyond  the  measure 
of  the  times  in  which  it  appears.  If  it  goes  far  beyond 
all  that  could  reasonably  have  been  anticipated  under 
the  circumstances,  we  can  scarcely  resist  the  conviction 
that  such  disclosures  are  to  be  referred  to  something 
higher  than  human  sagacity,  wisdom,  or  cunning.  For 
certain  it  is,  as  a  general  fact,  that  all  great  minds  are 
exponents  rather  of  their  own  than  of  future  ages,  and 
that  they  are  tethered  more  or  less  to  a  fixed  circumfer- 
ence in  revolving  about  their  centre.    It  is  so  in  science, 


316 


THE  NEW  CHXTRCH  SYSTEM 


where  the  boundaries  are  enlarged,  not  by  the  majestic 
stride  of  an  individual  mind,  but  by  successive  acces- 
sions, one  pushing  a  little  ahead  of  his  predecessor,  and 
another  a  little  ahead  of  him,  and  so  on,  till  the  whole 
present  field  has  been  gradually  won. 

It  is  by  such  a  test  that  we  earnestly  desire  the  doc- 
trines of  the  New  Church  to  be  tried.  We  who  have 
carefully  pondered  the  distinguishing  character  of  that 
system,  do  not  hesitate  to  hold  it  up  as  contain- 
ing features  which  can  be  accounted  for  only  on  the 
ground  of  their  absolute  truth.  They  constitute,  in  our 
judgment,  a  problem  which  no  theory  of  human  ingenui- 
ty can  solve  ;  and  the  reason  why  we  rest  so  confidently 
in  this  belief  is,  that  the  system  surpasses  so  utterly  and 
entirely  everything  that  could  have  been  rationally  ex- 
pected of  the  human  mind  in  the  age  which  gave  it 
birth.  To  us,  accordingly,  the  idea  of  its  having  been 
the  product  merely  of  the  unassisted  intellect  of  man,  is 
no  less  extravagant  than  that  of  the  earth  we  inhabit 
having  been  the  product  of  human  potency  and  elabora- 
tion. 

But  this,  we  are  aware,  is  the  expression  of  a  bare 
opinion,  or  rather  conviction,  which  it  were  vain  to  hope 
would  establish  itself  in  other  minds  without  the  support 
of  adequate  evidence.  We  are  bound  in  fairness  to  ad- 
duce corroborating  testimony  in  behalf  of  our  position 
on  this  head,  and  such  proof  we  now  propose  to  cfier,  re- 
garding it,  of  course,  as  a  settled  point,  that  if  it  be 
shown  that  the  New  Church  system  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  man's  ability  to  devise,  we  thereby  inforce  the  infer- 
ence that  it  owes  its  origin  to  a  Divine  source.  In  taking 
this  method  of  discussing  the  subject,  we  naturally  fur- 
nish an  answer  to  the  question.  What  reason  have  we  to 
believe  that  Emanuel  Swedenborg  was  invested  with  a 
divine  commission  ?  Every  one  will  be  able  to  judge  for 
himself,  from  the  data  afforded,  how  far  to  yield  his  cre- 
dence to  the  claims  asserted. 

And  it  is  especially  on  this  head  that  satisfaction  is 
craved  by  the  somewhat  inC[uisitive  public  mind  of  the 


EEFEEABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIYDTE  ORIGIK.  317 


day.  That  which  stumbles  multitudes  of  honest  in- 
quirers is  this  laying  claim,  by  Swedenborg,  to  a  divine 
revelation — this  coming  before  the  world  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century  in  the  character  of  a  prophet  or  seer. 
"Would  he  but  lay  aside  his  claim  on  this  score,  and  take 
his  stand  on  the  same  platform  with  Luther,  and  Calvin, 
and  "Wesley,  and  Edwards,  and  Dwight,  and  propound 
his  doctrines  as  his,  hundreds  would  no  doubt  give  him 
a  hearing  forthwith.  But  he  is  summarily  put  without 
the  pale  of  reverent  regard  by  the  fact  of  his  assump- 
tion on  this  score,  which  amounts,  it  is  said,  to  a  virtual 
denial  that  the  Canon  of  Scripture  is  closed,  thus  out- 
raging the  universal  sentiment  of  Christendom.  It  is 
therefore  evidently  of  the  utmost  importance  that  this 
point  should  be  established — that  the  credentials  of  a 
mission,  an  embassy,  from  Heaven — should  be  made  out 
in  his  behalf. 

Still  we  do  not  suppose  that  the  most  logical  and  un- 
impeachable course  of  argument  on  this  head  will  neces- 
sarily of  itself  command  the  assent  of  the  intellect. 
For  it  is  one  of  the  peculiar  and  distinguishing  traits 
and  teachings  of  the  system,  that  the  reception  of  truth 
is  dependent  upon  the  state  of  the  affections  rather  than 
of  the  perceptions  of  the  intellect.  Apart  from  them, 
we  have  no  assurance  of  tlie  triumph  of  truth  over  the 
falsities  which  it  has  to  encounter.  And  this  feature  of 
it  we  may  reckon  among  the  evidences  of  the  heavenly 
origin  of  the  doctrine,  that  it  puts  the  prospect  and  the 
probability  of  its  own  reception,  not  upon  the  degree  of 
evidence  which  it  carries  to  the  understanding,  but  upon 
the  previous  state  of  the  affections  as  to  the  love  of  good- 
ness and  the  love  of  truth.  "Would  this  have  been  the 
case  with  a  system  devised  by  the  wit  of  man,  and  de- 
pending not  upon  divine  influx,  but  upon  human  intelli- 
gence for  reception  ? 

But  this  consideration  is  comparatively  weak  and 
trifling  when  placed  by  the  side  of  others  to  which  we 
design  to  advert.  And  here  let  us  say  in  the  outset  that 
the  system  of  religious  truth  set  forth  by  Swedenborg, 
28 


318 


THE  NEW  CIlUKCir  SYSTEM 


doe^  prof  ess  ^  at  least,  to  be  a  fulfilment  of  Scripture  pro- 
phecy. It  assumes  to  be  a  substantiating  or  realizing 
in  acta  of  the  symbolic  shadows  of  the  sacred  oracles, 
under  which  were  announced  the  glorious  things  that 
were  to  be  ministered  to  the  children  of  men  in  the  lat- 
ter da3^  Now  the  question  is,  whether  this  is  well 
founded  or  not.  Is  the  system  of  doctrine  and  life  which 
Swedenborg  has  promulgated,  in  deed  and  in  truth  the 
very  system  which  was  predicted  by  prophets  and  psalm- 
ists, or  is  it  a  mere  suppositious  affair — a  fabrication — 
a  changeling  system  surreptitiously  introduced  and  sub- 
stituted in  place  of  the  genuine?  It  is  known  to  those 
that  are  somewhat  conversant  with  the  history  of  theolo- 
gical opinion,  particularly  in  its  j^olemical  aspects,  that 
a  certain  class  of  deistical  writers,  of  whom  Anthony 
Collins  was  the  head,  took  the  position  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  was  not  the  true  Messiah  announced  in  the 
Jewish  Scriptures,  but  that  being  of  a  shrewd  and 
aspiring  genius,  he  went  to  work  to  adapt  himself  to  the 
scope  of  all  the  inspired  predictions,  types,  and  ceremo- 
nies, and  that  by  means  of  a  transcendent  astuteness  and 
unwearied  assiduity,  he  actually  succeeded  in  palming 
upon  a  portion  of  his  countrymen  the  strong  persuasion 
that  he  was  indeed  the  veritable  personage  predicted  in 
their  sacred  books,  and  who  was  to  conduct  the  nation 
of  Israel  to  the  height  of  their  promised  renown.  And 
not  only  so,  but  that  owing  to  the  operation  of  causes  deep 
laid  in  the  ground-work  of  human  nature,  and  by  a  re- 
markable train  of  providential  circumstances,  the  belief 
has  been  perpetuated  among  a  vast  body  of  the  race  to 
the  present  day ;  while  at  the  same  time  it  was  all  a  fal- 
lacy— a  "  counterfeit  presentment"'  of  the  hona  fide  per- 
sonage intended  by  the  inditing  spirit  to  whose  inspira- 
tion the  Scriptures  are  referable. 

Now  it  is  by  a  procedure  somewhat  analogous  to  this, 
that  Swedenborg  may  be  supposed  to  have  brought  for- 
ward his  peculiar  scheme  of  a  New  Church,  and  foisted 
it  into  the  place  of  that  which  was  legitimately  to  have 
been  expected.    And  certainly,  on  the  supposition  that 


REFER ABLK  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  319 


bis  voluminous  writings  are  not  true,  but  are  merely  an 
immense  congeries  of  falsities,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
something  like  this  was  his  aim,  and  that  to  this  end 
all  his  almost  superhuman  labors  with  the  pen  were 
directed. 

But  reflect  for  a  moment  on  what  is  involved  in  this 
hypothesis.  lie  finds,  on  opening  the  sacred  page,  that 
the  Lord  through  his  prophet  declares  or  announces, 
"Behold,  I  make  all  things  nexo  and  again,  "  I  saw  a 
new  heaven  and  a  ncv)  earth ;  for  the  first  heaven  and 
the  first  earth  had  passed  away."  These  annunciations 
are  to  be  in  some  way  fulfilled,  and  he  resolves  to  exco- 
gitate and  i^ublish  a  system  of  doctrines  and  life,  which 
shall  as  nearly  as  possible  correspond  with  the  purport  of 
these  sublime  declarations.  You  will  observe  that  it 
must  be  a  system  which  is  properly  to  be  denominated 
nexo ;  one  in  which  all  things  are  to  be  new — a  com- 
plete renovation  and  transformation  being  involved  in 
the  announcement.  Xow  to  say  nothing  of  the  stupend- 
ous presumption  of  thus  attempting,  notwithstanding  his 
intrinsic  littleness,  weakn'fess,  and  insignificance,  to  carry 
into  completion  tlie  divine  counsels — to  say  nothing  of 
the  daring  impiety  of  thus  virtually  putting  a  forged  docu- 
ment beneath  a  genuine  seal,  which  the  known  devout 
and  exemplary  character  of  the  man  would  utterly  for- 
bid— what  would  be  the  probability,  left  to  himself,  of 
making  out  a  system  which  would  be  complete,  coherent, 
and  consistent,  from  beginning  to  end,  and  that  too  ex- 
tending, as  it  does,  through  thousands  and  thousands  of 
pages?  Would  not  the  advanced  progress  of  such  a 
scheme  often  f  orget  its  beginning,  and  the  most  glaring- 
discrepancies  between  the  difli'erent  parts  occur  ?  Is  it 
conceivable  that  any  human  mind,  relying  solely  on  its 
own  resources,  should  have  constructed  a  system  which 
would  bear  the  searching  inquest  of  all  our  minds,  and 
should  challenge,  in  fact,  their  strictest  ordeal  ?  Yet 
this  is  what  Swedenborg  has  done.  He  has  professed  to 
realize  a  prophetic  ideal  of  a  church  and  a  kingdom, 
and  boldly  calls  upon  the  world  to  compare  the  an- 


320 


THE  NEW  CHtTECH  SYSTEM 


nouncetnent  with  the  alleged  fulfilment.  He  points  to 
the  mould  given  from  heaven,  and  then  to  the  statue 
which  he  has  run  in  it,  and  demands  whether  the  corres- 
pondence be  not  perfect.  We  saj,  indeed,  that  it  is,  and 
that,  too,  because  both  mould  and  statue  are  in  fact 
from  the  same  hand,  as  we  hold  that  Swedenborg  thought 
and  wrote  under  a  divine  guidance ;  but  the  case  is  put 
to  those  who  at  pi-esent  deny  him  such  a  supernal  dicta- 
tion, but  regard  him  as  simply  acting  out  his  own  im- 
pulses, and  giving  to  the  world  not  a  genuine,  but  a 
spurious  revelation. 

Now  we  would  fain  have  this  matter  viewed  in  its  ap- 
propriate light,  and  then  let  every  one  judge  for  himself, 
whether  he  can  rationally  attribute  such  a  body  of  doc- 
trine and  revelation  to  a  merely  human  origin.  You 
will  observe  that  an  entirely  neio  dispensation  was  to  be 
announced  and  ushered  in,  and  we  can  form  some  ade- 
quate idea  of  what  would  be  requisite  in  order  to  accom- 
plish such  an  august  result.  A  complete  change  was  to 
be  wrought  in  men's  ideas  of  sacred  things.  All  the  old 
and  long  established  forms  of  thought  on  religious 
themes  were  to  be  remodelled,  and  yet  the  inspired 
"Word  was  to  remain  as  ever  the  grand  depository  of  Di- 
vine truth  and  the  criterion  of  all  doctrine.  The  old- 
ness  of  the  letter  was  to  be  preserved  in  perfect  consis- 
tency with  a  developed  newness  of  spirit.  How  could 
this  be  unless  a  deeper  and  more  interior  meaning  were 
developed  from  it ;  and  how,  again,  could  this  be  done, 
unless  an  underlying  law  were  discovered  which  should 
redeem  the  interpretation  from  the  charge  of  arbitrary 
and  fanciful  ?  And  here  it  is  that  we  encounter  the 
grand  problem  to  be  solved  ?  How  is  this  law  of  inter- 
pretation to  be  discovered?  Where  shall  the  intellect 
be  found  competent  to  elicit  from  the  written  revelation 
a  sense  which  shall  be  the  basis  of  a  new  dispensation — 
an  order  of  things  answering  to  the  liigh  strains  of  pro- 
phecy bearing  upon  the  glory  of  the  Lord's  coming 
Kingdom  ?  We  say  without  hesitation  that  such  a  dis- 
covery would  be,  to  human  wit  or  wisdom,  simply  im- 
possible.   To  be  convinced  of  this,  we  have  but  to  re* 


RKFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGLV. 


321 


mind  ourselves  of  what  the  law  actually  is.  It  is  the 
law  of  the  relation  of  the  spiritual  and  the  natural 
worlds — the  former  as  the  world  of  causes,  the  lat- 
ter as  the  world  of  effects.  We  can  appreciate  it  now 
that  it  is  made  known,  and  can  see  how  utterly  it  would 
have  transcended  the  utmost  reach  of  man's  unaided 
powers.  How  was  the  mystery  of  the  spiritual  world  to 
be  laid  open,  except  by  a  species  of  translation  thither 
on  the  part  of  the  revealer  ?  An  actual  intromission  into 
that  sphere  of  existence  was  imperatively  requisite  if 
its  sublime  arcana  were  to  be  developed,  and  that,  too. 
not  merely  to  blazon  its  momentous  facts  and  phenome- 
na, but  more  especially  to  bring  back  from  that  unex- 
plored region  the  key  to  the  interpretation  of  the  inter- 
nal sense  of  the  Word.  This  accordingly  forms  a  pro- 
minent feature  of  the  function  which  Swedenbovg  claims 
for  himself,  as  a  divinely  commissioned  messenger  from 
heaven.    On  this  head  he  speaks  himself  as  follows  : 

••  That  tlio  Word  in  the  letter  is  written  by  appearauces  and  corres- 
pondences, and  that,  therefore,  there  is  in  every  part  of  it  a  spiritual 
sense,  in  which  the  truth  is  in  it<  light,  and  the  sense  of  the  letter  in 
the  shade,  was  shown  in  the  chapter  concerning  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
TCRE.  Lest,  therefore,  the  man  of  the  New  Church,  like  the  man  of 
the  old  church,  should  -wander  in  the  shade,  in  which  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word  is,  especially  concern!  ig  heaven  and  hell,  and 
concerning  his  life  after  death,  and  here  coiicevning  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  open  the  si^ht  of  my  spirit,  and  thu* 
to  let  rrn  into  the  spiritual  world,  and  not  only  to  give  me  to  speak  with 
spirits  and  angels,  and  with  relations  and  iViends,  but  with  kings  and 
princes,  who  have  departed  from  the  natural  world,  but  also  to  see  the 
stupendous  things  of  heaven,  an  1  the  miserable  things  of  hell ;  and 
thus  that  man  does  not  live  in  -  ,me  unknown  place  of  the  earth,  nor 
fly  about  blind  and  dumb  in  th  air,  or  in  empty  space  ;  but  that  he 
lives  as  a  man  in  a  substantial  body,  in  a  much  more  perfect  state,  if 
he  comes  among  the  blessed,  than  before,  when  he  lived  in  the  material 
body.  Therefore,  lest  man  should  become  more  deeply  grounded  in 
the  opinion  concerning  the  destruction  of  the  visible  heaven  and  habi- 
table earth,  and  thus  concerning  the  spiritual  world,  from  ignorance, 
which  is  the  source  of  naturalism,  and  then,  at  the  same  time,  atheism, 
which,  at  this  'day,  among  the  learned,  has  begun  to  take  root  in  the 
interior  rational  mind,  should,  like  a  mortification  in  the  flesh,  spread 
itself  around  more  widely,  even  into  his  external  mind,  from  which  he 
speaks,  it  has  been  enjoined  upon  me  by  the  Lord,  to  promulgate  some 


322 


THE  NEW  CHUECH  SYSTEM 


of  the  things  seen  and  heard,  both  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell, 
and  concerning  the  Last  Jcdgment,  and  also  to  explain  the  Apo- 
calypse, where  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  the  former  heaven,  and 
the  new  heaven  and  the  holy  Jerusalem,  are  treated  of ;  from  which, 
when  read  and  understood,  any  one  may  see  what  is  meant  there  by  the 
coming  of  the  Lord,  and  by  the  new  heaven,  and  by  the  new  Jerusa- 
lem."—T.  C.  R. 

All  this  we  can  now  see  to  have  been  an  absolutely 
necessary  step  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  ends  of  the 
Divine  Wisdom  in  the  establishing  of  a  IS'ew  Church  in 
the  world,  and  we  have  each  to  judge  for  ourselves  of  the 
probability  of  any  sane,  sober,  and  intelligent  man's 
claiming  such  a  prerogative  for  himself — especially  a 
man  of  cool,  reflective  temperament  like  Swedenborg. 
"We  can  only  judge  rightly  on  this  score  by  giving  due 
consideration  to  the  obstacles  standing  in  the  way  of 
such  an  assertion.  He  could  not  but  be  aware  of  the 
strength  of  the  impression  throughout  all  classes  of 
Christendom,  that  the  Sacred  Canon  is  closed,  and  that 
no  fartlier  discoveries  from  the  interior,  such  as  were 
made  to  the  prophets,  were  any  longer  to  be  anticipated. 
He  could  not  be  insensible  to  the  fact  that  with  the  great 
mass  of  Christians  such  a  pretence  would  be  fatal  to  his 
pretensions,  as  it  would  go  counter  to  a  first  principle 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  religious  mind  of  the  age, 
and  would  therefore  bar  out  completely  all  title  to  ex- 
amination. 

Yet  in  the  face  of  all  this  the  herald  of  the  New  Dis- 
pensation lays  claim,  in  the  most  explicit  manner,  to  di- 
rect revelations,  and  even  more  than  intimates  that  it  was 
indispensably  necessary,  according  to  the  principles  of 
order,  that  the  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  should  be 
eftected  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  man  divinely 
qualified  and  endowed  for  the  work.  '  Hear  his  testimony 
to  this  eftect. 

"  That  this  Coming  is  effected,  in  the  first  instance,  through  the  in- 
strumentaltty  of  a  man  divinely  qual if  ed  and  endowed  for  this  sacred 
office. — Since  the  Loi-d  cannot  manifest  Himself  in  person,  as  has  been 
shown  just  above,  and  yet  He  has  foretold  that  He  would  come  and 
establish  a  Xew  Church,  which  is  the  New  Jerusalem,  it  follows  that 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  323 


he  is  to  do  it  by  means  of  a  man,  who  is  able  not  only  to  receive  the 
doctrines  of  this  church  with  his  understanding,  but  also  to  publish 
them  by  the  press.  That  the  Lord  has  manifested  Himself  before  me, 
his  servant,  and  sent  me  on  this  ofiBce,  and  that,  after  this,  he  opened 
the  sight  of  my  spirit,  and  thus  let  me  into  the  spiritual  world,  and 
gave  me  to  see  the  heavens  and  the  hells,  and  also  to  speak  with  angels 
and  spirits,  and  this  now  continually  for  many  years,  I  testify  in 
truth  ;  and  also  that,  from  the  first  day  of  that  call,  1  have  not  received 
anything  which  pertains  to  the  doctrines  of  that  church  from  any 
angel,  but  from  the  Lord  alone,  while  I  read  the  Word." — T.  C.  R. 
779. 

"  In  your  gracious  letter,  you  ask,  how  I  attained  to  he  in  society 
with  angels  and  spirits,  and  whether  that  privilege  can  be  communicat- 
ed from  one  person  to  another.  Deign,  then,  to  receive  favorably  this 
answer.  The  Lord  our  Saviour  had  foretold  that  He  would  come 
again  into  the  world,  and  that  he  would  establish  there  a  New  Church. 
He  has  given  this  prediction  in  the  Apocalypse,  xxi.  and  xxii.,  and 
also  in  several  places  in  the  Evangelists.  But  as  he  cannot  come  again 
intothe  world  in  person, it  was  necessary  that  he  should  do  it  by  means 
of  a  man,  who  should  not  only  receive  the  doctrine  of  this  New  Church 
in  his  understanding,  but  also  publish  it  by  printing  ;  and  as  the  Lord 
had  prepared  me  for  this  oflBce  from  my  infancy.  He  has  manifested 
himself  before  me.  Wis  servant,  and  sent  me  to  fill  it.  This  took  place 
in  the  year  1743.  He  afterwards  opened  the  sight  of  my  spirit,  and 
thus  introduced  me  into  the  spiritual  world,  and  granted  me  to  see 
the  heavens  and  many  of  their  wonders,  and  also  the  hells,  and  to  speak 
with  angels  and  spirits,  and  this  continually  for  twenty-seven  years.  I 
declare  in  all  truth  that  such  Ls  the  fact.  This  favor  of  the  Lord,  in 
regard  to  me,  has  only  taken  place  for  the  sake  of  the  New  Church 
which  I  have  mentioned  above,  the  doctrine  of  which  is  contained  in 
my  writings." — Documents,  p.  138. 

The  especial  point  of  consideration  here  is,  the  antece- 
dent improbability  of  such  a  stupendous  claim  beino^ 
made  by  a  sensible  man  in  the  face  of  all  that  prejudice 
and  incredulity  which  it  would  be  sure  to  encounter. 
To  think  of  a  frail  worm  of  the  dust  lifting  up  its  little- 
ness to  the  height  of  an  asserted  participation  in  the 
Second  Advent  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  I 
To  think  that  a  mortal  man  should  presume  to  predicate 
of  himself  a  necessary  instrumentality  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  such  an  event !  "What,  on  the  first  an- 
nouncement, could  strike  us  as  a  more  astounding  absur- 
dity and  impiety  combined  i    Should  we  not  as  soon 


324 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


expect  that  his  agency  would  have  been  claimed  to  be  a 
necessary  condition  on  the  original  creation  of  the  uni- 
verse? Yet  this  is  the  claim  which  the  Swedish  Seer 
unhesitatingly  advances  before  the  world  !  This  claim 
and  its  dependencies  constitute  the  hinge  on  which  the 
whole  of  the  present  argument  turns.  We  maintain 
that  the  leading  doctrines  and  disclosures  of  the  system, 
though  rational  and  credible  in  themselves  when  once 
fairly  apprehended,  are  so  utterly  remote  from  all  that 
could  have  been  expected  a  'priori  to  enter  into  the 
range  of  any  man's  thought,  who  should  have  set  him- 
self to  the  work  of  fabricating  a  spurious  code  of  reli- 
gious taith,  that  the  problem  becomes  vastly  greater  by 
referring  them  to  a  human  than  to  a  divine  origin.  Of 
this  the  world  is  to  form  its  judgment  upon  the  some- 
what fuller  presentation  of  the  data. 

Our  object  thus  far  has  been  mainly  to  define  our 
general  position.  We  have  ventured  to  afiirm  that  the 
New  Church  system,  viewed  as  a  whole,  exhibits  fea- 
tures of  so  marked  and  unique  a  character — so  utterly 
alien  from  any  thing  that  could  have  been  reasonably 
expected  at  the  time  and  under  the  circumstances  in 
which  it  appeared — as  to  compel  the  belief  that  it  has 
originated  in  a  superhuman  source.  The  facts  in  the 
case  baffle  every  other  mode  of  solution.  This,  however, 
is  not  a  position  to  be  palmed  upon  any  one  without  proof. 
It  behoves  us  to  assign  the  grounds  on  which  it  rests.  In 
so  doing  we  must  of  necessity  study  brevity,  as  our  limits 
are  those  of  a  lecture,  and  not  of  a  treatise.  As  the 
character  mainly  predicated  of  the  teachings  of  Sweden- 
borg  is  that  of  neioness^  we  have  accordingly  in  this  sys- 
tem, 

I.  A  new  doctrine  of  the  Lord  and  the  Trinity,  in 
which  the  dogma  of  thvQQ persons  is  discarded,  and  three 
divine  pmzc?jyZe5  acknowledged  instead.  The  i^aMer  is 
recognized  in  the  Son  and  not  out  of  him,  while  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  proceeding  energy  and  operative 
agency  of  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  In  this  triad  of 
principles  the  name  Father  denotes  the  divine  Love,  Son 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


325 


the  divine  Wisdom,  and  Holy  Spirit  the  divine  Effi- 
ciency in  operation  and  act.  These  three  essentials  in 
the  divine  nature  constitute  one  Person,  and  that  Person 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  true  and  only  Jehovah.  The 
Hebrew  term  JehovaJi  is  represented  in  English  by  the 
equivalent  title  Lord,  and  whenever  the  ISTewchurchman 
employs  this  title,  it  conveys  to  his  mind  the  idea  couched 
under  the  Old  Testament  term  Jehovah.  In  the  accom- 
plishment of  man's  redemption  this  Divine  Being,  de- 
nominated Jehovah,  became  incarnate,  and  consequently 
visible,  whereas,  prior  to  that  event,  he  had  been  invisi- 
ble. We  do  not  of  course  say  that  the  inmost  esse  of  the 
Deity,  or  the  Love  principle,  became  visible,  for  this  is 
impossible ;  but  as  we  say  of  a  man  that  he  is  visible  as 
a  whole,  though  the  soul  which  constitutes  his  essence  is 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  senses,  so  we  say  of  Jehovah 
that  he  became  visible  in  the  incarnation,  notwith- 
standing the  Divine  Love  or  the  Father  was  inwardly 
and  invisibly  latent  in  the  humanity  of  the  Son.  On 
this  basis  of  the  sole  and  supreme  divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ  we  are  taught  to  fix  our  regards  on  Him  as  the 
true  object  of  worship,  and  therefore  in  the  utterance  of 
the  Lord's  prayer,  for  instance,  we  think  of  no  Father  in 
heaven  separate  from  the  Lord,  who  said  of  himself,  "  he 
that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father ;"  nor  do  we  em- 
ploy any  formula  indicating  that  our  prayers  are  ofiiered 
to  any  Divine  Father  out  of  the  Son  for  the  sake  of  the 
Son  out  of  the  Father.  The  invocation  of  blessings  for 
Chrisfs  saJce  is  utterly  unknown  in  the  New  Church,  be- 
cause we  cannot  by  possibility  so  separate  the  Father 
from  the  Son  as  to  render  such  language  appropriate  to 
the  subject.  We  are  indeed  taught  to  supplicate  favors 
in  Chrisfs  name,  with  the  promise  that  whatsoever  we 
thus  ask  shall  be  accorded  to  us,  yet  in  the  Word  by 
na7ne  is  signified  quality,  and  to  ask  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  is  to  ask  under  a  realizing  sense  of  the  fact  that  he 
is  in  himself  the  supreme  and  only  Jehovah,  and  there- 
fore both  able  and  willing  to  bestow,  without  the  prompt- 
ing of  an  intercessor,  every  needed  blessing. 


326 


THE  NEW  CHUKCH  SYSTEM 


Sucb  then  is  the  view  presented  in  the  revelations  of 
the  New  Church  of  the  high  theme  of  the  Divine  nature 
— a  view  of  which  the  theology  of  Christendom,  as  em- 
bodied in  the  symbols  with  which  Swedenborg  was  fami- 
liar, had  never  dreamed.  It  bad  indeed  confessed  a  di- 
vine as  well  as  a  human  nature  in  the  person  of  Jesus, 
but  the  relation  of  the  two  was  simply  that  of  adjunc- 
tion, which  leaves  the  problem  unsolved,  how  be  could 
be  essentially  divine,  especially  in  the  assumption  that 
he  possessed  a  finite  human  soul  as  the  inmost  element 
of  his  being.  If  the  Divinity  were  simply  adjoined  to 
the  Humanity,  we  consider  it  impossible  to  answer  the 
question  why  he  might  not  have  had  a  human  father  as 
well  as  a  human  mother.  On  the  ground  of  Sweden- 
borg's  teaching  all  difficulty  on  this  score  vanishes  at 
once.  From  supernatural  illumination  he  informs  us 
that  the  soul  in  all  cases  is  from  the  father,  and  the  body 
and  the  external  man  from  the  mother.  "  Who  does 
not  know  that  the  child  has  the  soul  and  life  from  the 
father,  and  that  the  body  is  from  the  soul?  What  there- 
fore is  said  more  plainly  than  that  the  Lord  had  his  soul 
and  life  from  Jehovah  God  ;  and  because  the  Divine 
cannot  be  divided,  that  the  Divine  itself  was  his  soul  and 
life  ?"  The  true  and  absolute  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ 
can  be  maintained  upon  no  other  basis  than  this.  Here 
we  see  the  true  and  only  God  "  manifested  in  the  flesh" 
— not  God  merely  adjoined  to  the  soul  and  body  of  a 
liuman  being  like  ourselves,  but  God  actually  incarnated 
in  a  tenement  of  flesh  and  blood,  the  materials  of  which 
were  assumed  in  the  womb  of  the  virgin.  Thus  consti- 
tuted, our  Lord,  instead  of  being  a  stationary  personage, 
subject  to  no  change  of  internal  state,  entered  from  the 
outset  upon  a  mysterious  process  of  glorification,  the 
type  of  our  own  regeneration,  which  resulted  finally  in 
the  complete  putting  away  of  the  infirm  humanity 
derived  from  the  mother,  and  the  assumption  of  a  Divine 
Humanity,  in  which  light  he  is  for  ever  to  be  contem- 
plated by  his  believing  people. 

Thus  differs  the  new  doctrine  of  Swedenborg  from  the 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  OKIGLN. 


327 


old  doctrine  of  Christendom  on  this  grand  truth  of  re- 
velation. According  to  the  established  or  Athanasian 
tenet,  "  the  idea,"  says  our  author,  "  is  clear  that  the 
Lord  has  a  Divine  principle  and  a  Human,  or  that  the 
Lord  is  God  and  man  ;  but  the  idea  is  obscure  that  the 
Divine-principle  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  Human  as  the  soul 
is  in  the  body."  And  again,  "  With  respect  to  the  union 
of  the  Lord's  Divine  Essence  with  his  Human,  and  of  the 
Human  with  the  Divine,  this  infinitely  transcends  man's 
conjunction:  for  the  Lord's  internal  was  Jehovah  Him- 
self, consequently,  life  itself :  whereas  man's  internal  is 
not  the  Lord,  nor,  consequently  life,  but  a  recipient  of 
life.  The  Lord  had  union  with  Jehovah  ;  but  man  has 
not  union  with  the  Lord,  but  conjunction." 

A  proper  estimate  of  this  view  of  the  cardinal  doctrine 
of  revelation  can  only  be  found  by  contrasting  it  with 
the  tripersonal  tenet  which  was  so  generally  prevalent 
at  and  prior  to  Swedenborg's  day.  Can  any  candid  mind 
fail  to  be  struck  with  the  amazing  difference  between 
the  two  ?  Does  he  not  perceive  in  the  new  elucidation 
evidence  of  more  than  human  insight  ?  Was  the  pro- 
found intellect  even  of  Swedenborg  capable,  by  its  own 
powers,  of  thus  penetrating  the  heart  of  this  "  great  mys- 
tery of  godliness,"  and  laying  it  so  clearly  open  to  human 
intelligence  ?  If  not,  what  inference  remains  but  that  he 
has  revealed  to  the  world  what  was  specially  and  exclu- 
sively revealed  to  him? 

IL  Flowing  by  legitimate  sequence  from  the  above  new 
doctrine  of  the  Lord  and  the  Trinit}^,  we  have  also  in  this 
system  a  new  doctrine  of  Atonement — a  doctrine  out  of 
which  the  vicarious  element  is  totally  eliminated,  while 
all  its  placating  and  reconciling  virtue  remains  in  full 
force,  though  developed  from  a  higher  ground.  The 
common  tenet,  as  is  well  known,  is  founded  upon  the 
idea  that  justice  demands  satisfaction  for  a  violated  law, 
and  that  such  a  satisfaction  has  been  rendered  by  the 
second  person  of  the  Trinity  to  the  first.  Now,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  incongruity  of  supposing  that  while  all  the 
persons  are  of  equal  power,  rank,  and  glory,  a  satisfac- 


328 


THE  NEW  CHTJECn  SYSTEM 


tion  should  be  required  to  be  made  any  more  by  the  Son 
to  the  Father  than  by  the  Father  to  the  Son,  the  teach- 
ing of  the  ISTew  Church  is,  that  no  divine  law  is  ever 
broken  but  that  satisfaction  follows  of  course;  for  the 
satisfaction  of  every  law  is  either  in  the  obedience  of  its 
subjects,  or  in  the  self-inflicted  penalty  sure  to  visit  the 
transgressor.  The  law  of  order  in  the  moral  as  well  as  in 
the  physical  universe  is  such  that  every  violation  pun- 
ishes itself,  if  not  immediately,  yet  eventually.  The 
work  of  atonement,  therefore,  was  not  to  expiate  past 
offences,  but  to  restore  to  man  the  lost  capacity  of  right- 
eousness by  which  he  could  be  reinstated  in  vital  con- 
junction with  the  Lord.  It  was  a  process  by  which  the 
apostate  and  alienated  heart  of  man  was  to  be  brought 
back  to  atrone-ment  with  God.  This  end  could  only  be 
effected  through  his  liberation  from  the  powers  of  hell, 
which  obtained  a  fatal  dominion  over  him,  and  this 
again  could  not  be  accomplished  except  by  the  Lord's 
coming  into  the  conditions  of  humanity,  and  on  that 
plane  contending  with  and  triumphing  over  man's  infer- 
nal enemies. 

It  may  indeed  be  asked  why  this  result  could  not  be 
effected  by  a  simple  act  of  omnipotence,  as  he  of  course 
holds  all  hell  at  his  beck.  Our  reply  to  this  is  drawn 
from  one  of  the  distinguishing  features  of  Swedenborg's 
revelations,  and  it  goes  to  magnify  immensely  all  prior 
conceptions  of  the  Divine  wisdom  and  benignity  in  prac- 
tically working  out  the  problem  of  human  redemption. 
These  infernal  adversaries,  who  had  reduced  the  race  to 
direful  bondage,  were  really  men,  or  the  spirits  of  men, 
for  of  such  only  do  heaven  and  hell  consist.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  heaven  are  indeed  called  angels,  and  those  of  the 
hells  devils,  but  in  either  case  they  belong  to  the  ranks 
of  humanity,  and  the  Most  High  will  never  cease  to  deal 
with  them  as  such.  That  is  to  say,  he  will  never  cease 
to  have  resjject  to  that  moral  nature  with  which  they  are 
endowed,  nor  act  towards  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
suspend  their  free-will.  Even  while  engaged  in  acting 
against  them,  he  will  put  due  honor  upon  their  preroga- 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


329 


tive ;  he  will  not  lose  sight  of  his  own  image  and  likeness 
impressed  npon  them  at  creation.  He  will  not  deal  with 
them  as  passive  subjects  of  his  infinite  power,  but  as  ac- 
tive agents  possessed  of  ability  to  resist,  if  they  choose, 
or  to  succumb  to  his  sovereignty.  Now  let  any  one  con- 
ceive, if  he  can,  any  possible  mode  by  which  man  could 
have  been  delivered  from  this  infernal  thraldom,  consis- 
tent with  his  own  freedom  and  that  of  his  captors  and 
oppressors,  except  by  the  Lord's  assuming  human  nature 
and  thus,  in  infinite  condescension,  putting  himself,  as 
we  may  say,  upon  a  par  with  his  adversaries.  How  else 
could  he  fight  against  them  and  overcome  them  without 
at  the  same  time  crushing  and  annihilating  them  as  free 
agents  ?  But  on  this  head  let  us  hear  our  author  himself. 
He  first  defines  the  nature  of  that  redemption  which  was 
to  be  accomplished  in  behalf  of  man  : 

"  It  may  be  proper  first  to  state  the  true  nature  and  meaning  of  re- 
demption. To  redeem  signifies  to  deliver  from  damnation,  to  rescue 
from  eternal  death,  to  snatch  out  of  hell,  and  to  pluck  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  devil  those  that  were  led  captive  and  bound.  This  was  eSected 
by  the  Lord  when  he  reduced  the  hells  to  subjection.  Men  could  not 
otherwise  have  been  saved,  because  the  spiritual  world  and  the  natural 
have  such  a  connection  with  each  other,  that  they  are  incapable  of 
separation,  particularly  with  respect  to  men's  interiors,  which  are  called 
their  souls  and  minds,  and  which,  if  good,  are  connected  with  the  souls 
and  minds  of  angels,  but  if  evil,  with  the  souls  and  minds  of  infernal 
spirits.  Such  is  the  nature  of  this  union  that,  if  angels  and  spirits  were 
to  be  removed  from  a  man.  he  would  instantly  fall  down  dead  like  a 
stock  or  a  stone.  Hence  may  be  seen  a  reason  why  redemption  took 
place  in  the  spiritual  world  ;  and  why  heaven  and  hell  were  first  to  be 
reorulated  before  the  church  on  earth 'could  be  established." — T.  C.  R. 
118. 

He  then  goes  on  to  show  that  this  was  a  work  purely 
divine,  and  could  not  possibly  have  been  effected  but  by 
God  incarnate  : 

"  The  reason  why  it  was  necessary  for  God  to  become  incarnate,  that 
is,  to  be  made  man,  in  order  to  effect  redemption,  is,  because  Jehovah 
God,  such  as  he  is  in  his  infinite  essence,  cannot  approach  unto  hell, 
much  less  enter  it,  being  in  that  es.?ence  in  purest  and  first  principles ; 
therefore  Jehovah  God  being  such  in  himself,  if  he  had  only  breathed 
on  the  inhabitants  of  hell,  he  would  have  deprived  them  instantly  of 
29 


330 


THE  NEW  CUUECII  SYSTEM 


life ;  for  he  said  to  Moses,  who  was  desirous  cf  seeiug  him,  '  Thou 
canst  not  see  my  face  ;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live'  (Exod. 
xxxiii.  20)  ;  and  if  Moses  could  not  see  him,  much  less  could  the  infer- 
nal spirits,  who,  being  in  the  lowest  degree  natural,  are  in  last  and 
grossest  principles,  and  thus  in  such  as  are  most  remote  from  God ; 
consequently  unless  Jehovah  God  had  assumed  the  Humanity,  and  thus 
clothed  himself  with  a  body,  which  is  in  last  or  ultimate  principles,  it 
would  have  been  vain  to  have  attempted  anything  like  redemption. 
For  who  can  attack  an  enemy  unless  he  approach  towards  him,  and  be 
furnished  with  arms  for  the  battle  ?  Or  who  can  disperse  and  destroy 
dragons,  hydras,  and  basilisks  in  the  wilderness,  unless  he  cover  his 
body  with  a  coat  of  mail,  and  his  head  with  a  helmet,  and  be  armed 
with  a  spear  in  his  hand  ?  Or  who  can  catch  whales  in  the  sea  with- 
out a  ship,  and  the  necessary  tackle  for  the  purpose  ?  By  these,  and 
such  like  comparisons,  the  combat  which  the  omnipotent  God  waged 
with  the  hells  may  in  some  sort  be  illustrated,  though  by  no  means  per- 
fectly represented.  In  this  combat  he  could  not  possibly  have  engaged, 
unless  he  had  first  put  on  the  Humanity.  But  it  is  to  be  observed,  that 
the  combat  which  the  Lord  waged  with  the  hells  was  not  an  oral  com- 
bat, as  between  reasoners  and  disputars,  for  here  such  kind  of  warfare 
would  have  had  no  effect ;  but  it  was  a  spiritual  combat,  or  the  com- 
bat of  divine  truth  from  divine  good." 

"  That  Jehovah  God  could  not  have  been  thus  active  and  operative, 
except  by  his  Humanity,  may  be  illustrated  by  various  comparisons  ; 
as,  for  example,  it  is  impossible  for  persons  that  are  invisible  to  each 
other  to  unite  in  salutation  or  conversation  :  angels  or  spirits  cannot 
join  hands,  or  engage  in  discourse  with  a  man,  even  though  they  should 
stand  just  beside  his  person  and  before  his  face  ;  and  the  soul  of  any 
one  cannot  converse  and  negotiate  business  with  another  except  by 
means  of  his  body.  The  sun  cannot  enter  with  its  light  and  heat  into 
any  man,  beast,  or  vegetable,  unless  it  first  enter  into  the  air,  and  act 
by  that  as  a  conveying  medium  ;  in  like  manner  also  that  heat  and 
light  cannot  enter  into  fish  but  by  the  medium  of  water;  for  it  is  neces- 
sary it  should  act  by  means  of  the  element  in  which  the  subject  of  its 
operation  dwells.  In  short,  one  thing  must  be  accommodated  to 
another  before  there  can  be  any  communication  between  them,  or  any 
operation  of  either  contrariety  or  concord." — T.  C.  R.  124, 125. 

Tliis  is  indeed  our  author's  expose  of  the  true  doctrine 
of  Redemption  rather  than  that  of  Atonement,  techni- 
cally so  termed,  but  every  one  knows  that  from  their 
close  interrelation  with  each  other,  it  is  impossible  to 
treat  them  separately.  Atonement,  that  is  at-one-ment, 
is  properly  the  normal  effect  and  issue  of  Redemption ; 
but  it  is  notorious  that  the  essence  of  atonement  has  been 
for  ages  regarded  as  concentrated  in  the  passion  of  the 


KEFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


331 


cross,  and  the  material  blood  shed  upon  Calvary  deemed 
the  very  element  of  expiation  in  behalf  of  those  to  whom 
it  was  applied  by  imputation.  According  to  this  view, 
redemjition  itself  becomes  identical  with  atonement,  as 
it  is  held  that  by  this  sacrificial  offering  of  himself  in  our 
stead,  as  our  substitute,  we  are  hought  off,  i.  e.  ransomed 
or  redeemed,  not  from  the  dominion  of  hell,  but  from  the 
penal  wrath  of  the  Father.  Tliis  involves  of  course  the 
position  that  under  an  infinitely  righteous  government, 
the  innocent  may  be  substituted  for  the  guilty,  provided 
only  it  be  done  with  the  substitute's  own  consent.  Now 
we  beg  to  exhibit,  in  contrast  with  this,  the  view  taught 
in  the  writings  of  our  author  embodying  what  he  declares 
to  be  a  divinely  authoritative  exjDosition  of  the  truth  on 
the  point  in  question.  We  give  it  in  his  own  language 
instead  of  ours,  because  we  wish  to  conciliate  attention 
to  his  works  by  affording  specimens  of  what  they 
contain. 

"  The  passion  of  the  cross  was  not  redemption,  but  the  last  tempta- 
tion which  the  Lord  endured  as  the  Grand  Prophet,  and  it  was  the 
means  of  the  glorification  of  his  humanity,  that  is  of  the  union  with  the 
divinity  of  his  Father."— 2'.  C.  R.  126. 

"  It  is  a  fundamental  error  of  the  Church  to  believe  the  passion  of 
the  cross  to  be  redemption  itself ;  and  this  error,  together  with  that 
relating  to  three  divine  persons  from  eternity,  has  perverted  the  whole 
church,  so  that  nothing  spiritual  is  left  remaining  in  it.  What  doc- 
trine more  abounds  in  the  books  of  the  orthodox  at  this  day,  or  what 
is  more  zealously  taught  and  insisted  on  in  the  schools  of  divinity,  or 
more  constantly  preached  and  cried  up  in  the  pulpit,  than  this,  that  God 
the  Father,  being  full  of  wrath  against  mankind,  not  only  separated 
them  from  himself,  but  also  sentenced  them  to  universal  damnation, 
and  thus  excommunicated  them  from  his  favor  ;  but  because  he  was 
gracious  and  merciful,  that  he  persuaded  or  excited  his  Sou  to  descend, 
and  take  upon  himself  the  determined  curse,  and  so  to  expiate  the 
wrath  of  his  Father  ;  and  that  thus,  and  no  otherwise,  could  the  Father  be 
prevailed  upon  to  look  again  with  an  eye  of  mercy  on  mankind.  Like- 
wise that  this  was  effected  by  the  Son,  who,  in  taking  upon  himself  the 
curse  pronounced  against  men,  suffered  himself  to  be  scourged  by  the 
Jews,  to  be  spit  upon,  and  lastly  to  be  crucified  as  the  accursed  of  God 
(Deut.  xxi.  23)  ;  and  that  by  this  means  the  Father  was  appeased, 
and,  out  of  love  towards  his  Son,  cancelled  the  sentence  of  damnation 
yet  only  in  favor  of  those  for  whom  the  Son  should  intercede,  who  was 


332 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


thus  to  be  a  perpetual  Mediator  in  the  presence  of  the  Father  ?  These 
and  similar  doctrines  are  at  this  day  sounded  forth  from  the  pulpit,  and 
re-echoed  from  the  walls  of  the  temple,  as  an  echo  from  a  wood,  and  the 
ears  of  all  present  are  filled  with  it.  But  who  that  has  his  reason  en- 
lightened, and  is  restored  to  health  by  the  Word,  cannot  see  that  God 
is  mercy  and  clemency  itself,  because  he  is  love  itself,  and  goodness  it- 
self, and  that  these  constitute  his  essence  ;  and  consequently  that  it  is  a 
contradiction  to  say  that  mercy  itself  or  goodness  itself,  can  behold  a 
man  with  an  angry  eye,  and  sentence  him  to  damnation,  and  still  abide 
in  his  own  divine  essence  ?  Such  dispositions  are  never  ascribed  to  a 
good  man  or  an  angel  of  heaven,  but  only  to  a  wicked  man  and  a  spirit 
of  hell ;  it  is  therefore  blasphemy  to  ascribe  them  to  God.  But  if  we 
inquire  into  the  cause  of  this  false  judgment,  we  shall  find  it  to  be  this, 
that  men  have  mistaken  the  passion  of  the  cross  for  redemption  itself ; 
hence  have  flowed  those  opinions,  as  falses  flow  in  a  continued  series 
from  one  false  principle ;  or  as  from  a  cask  of  vinegar  nothing  but  vine- 
gar can  come  forth  :  or  as  from  an  insane  mind,  we  can  expect  nothing 
but  insanity."— r.  C.  R.  132. 

"That  this  idea  concerning  redemption,  and  concerning  God,  per- 
vades the  faith  which  prevails  at  this  day  throughout  all  Christendom, 
is  an  acknowledged  truth  ;  for  that  faith  requires  men  to  pray  to  God 
the  Father  that  he  would  remit  their  sins  for  the  sake  of  the  cross  and 
blood  of  his  Son,  and  to  God  the  iSon,  that  he  would  pray  and  inter- 
cede for  them,  and  to  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  would  justify  and 
sanctify  them  ;  and  what  is  all  this  but  to  supplicate  three  distinct 
Gods  one  after  another  ?  And,  in  such  a  case,  how  can  the  notion 
which  the  mind  forms  of  the  divine  government  differ  from  that  of  an 
aristocratical  or  hierarchical  government  ?  or  from  that  of  the  trium- 
virate which  once  existed  at  Rome,  if  only  instead  of  triumvirate  it  be 
called  a  triumpersonate  ?" — T.  C.  R.  133. 

In  the  above  extracts  the  prevailing  falsities  pertain- 
ing to  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  are  clearly  traced 
up  to  false  views  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  in  which 
the  tripersonal  theory  necessitates  the  conclusion  that  the 
whole  virtue  of  the  Lord's  redemption-work  was  concen- 
trated in  his  ignominious  death  on  the  cross,  the  saving 
benefits  of  which  are  secured  to  believers  by  an  act  of 
imputation.  In  what  follows  we  liave  a  view  of  the^rac- 
tical  effect  of  this  system  of  theology  which  cannot  but 
commend  itself  with  great  force  to  reflecting  minds. 

"  Redemption  and  the  passion  of  the  cross  are  two  distinct  things, 
which  ought  by  no  means  to  be  confounded  together,  and  the  Lord,  by 
both,  assumed  the  power  of  regenerating  and  saving  mankind,  as  was 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  333 


shown  in  the  chapter  on  Redemption.  From  the  prevailing  faith  of 
the  present  church,  that  the  passion  of  the  cross  constitutes  the  sum 
and  substance  of  redemption,  have  arisen  legions  of  horrible  falsities 
respecting  God,  faith,  charity,  and  other  subjects  connected  in  a  regu- 
lar chain  with  those  three,  and  dependent  on  them ;  as  for  instance  res- 
pecting God,  that  he  passed  sentence  of  commendation  on  all  the  human 
race,  and  was  willing  to  be  brought  back  to  mercy,  in  consequence  of 
that  condemnation  being  laid  on  his  Son,  or  taken  by  the  Son  upon 
himself,  and  that  only  those  are  saved  who  are  gifted  with  the  merit  of 
Christ  either  by  the  Divine  foreknowledge  or  predestination.  This 
fallacy  has  given  rise  also  to  another  tenet  of  that  faith,  that  all  who 
are  gifted  with  that  faith  are  instantly  regenerated  without  any  regard 
to  their  own  co-operation  ;  yea,  that  they  are  thus  delivered  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  being  no  longer  under  the  law,  but  under  grace  ;  and 
this  notwitkstanding  the  Lord's  declaration  that  he  would  not  take 
away  one  jot  or  tittle  of  the  law  (Matt.  v.  18, 19  ;  Luke  xvi.  17) ;  and 
his  command  to  his  disciples  to  preach  repentance  for  the  remission  of 
sins  (Luke  xxiv.  47  ;  Mark  vi.  12)." 

"  Consult  your  reason,  and  tell  me  what  sort  of  creatures,  in  your 
judgment,  men  would  become,  supposing  the  faith  of  the  present  church 
to  continue,  which  teaches  that  they  were  redeemed  solely  by  the  pas- 
sion of  the  cross,  and  that  those  who  are  gifted  with  the  Lord's  merit 
are  not  under  the  curse  of  the  law ;  and  further,  that  this  faith,  al- 
though a  man  is  altogether  ignorant  whether  it  be  in  him  or  not,  remits 
sins  and  regenerates,  and  that  his  co-operation  in  its  act,  that  is,  while 
it  is  given  and  enters  into  him,  would  defile  it,  and  make  salvation 
void  ;  for  by  this  he  would  mix  his  own  merit  with  Christ's.  Consult, 
I  say,  your  reason,  and  tell  me  whether,  upon  this  supposition,  the 
whole__\Vord,  which  insists  principally  on  regeneration  by  a  spiritual 
washing  from  evils,  and  by  exercises  of  charity,  must  not  of  necessity 
be  rejected  ?  And  then  of  what  use  is  the  decalogue,  which  is  the  be- 
ginning of  reformation,  or  what  purpose  can  it  serve  but  to  be  applied 
by  a  cook  as  so  much  waste  paper  to  wTap  up  his  confectionery?  In 
such  a  case,  what  is  religion  but  a  kind  of  lamentable  cry  on  a  man's 
part  that  he  is  a  sinner,  joined  with  supplication  to  God  the  Father  to 
have  mercy  on  him  for  the  sake  nf  his  Son's  sufferings?  And  what  is 
this  but  a  religion  of  the  lips  only,  proceeding  from  the  lungs,  without 
anything  of  act  or  deed  in  it  proceeding  from  the  heart  ?  And  what 
then  is  redemption  but  a  papal  indulgence  ?  or  what  more  than  the 
whipping  of  one  monk  for  the  offences  of  the  whole  monastery,  as  is  no 
uncommon  practice  ?  Supposing  this  faith  alone  to  regenerate  a  man, 
while  repentance  and  charity  contribute  nothing,  what  is  the  internal 
man,  which  is  his  spirit  that  lives  after  death,  but  like  a  city  on  fire, 
the  rubbish  of  which  forms  the  external  ?  or  like  cultivated  ground  or 
a  meadow  laid  waste  by  caterpillars  and  locusts  ?  Such  a  man  appears 
in  the  sight  of  angels  just  like  a  person  who  cherishes  a  serpent  in  his 
bosom,  while  he  covers  it  with  his  garment  to  prevent  its  being  seen ; 


334 


THE  NEW  CHTJECH  SYSTEM 


or  like  one  who  sleeps  as  a  sheep  in  company  with  a  wolf ;  or  like  a 
person  who  lies  down  to  rest  under  an  elegant  coverlet  in  a  shirt  woven 
of  spider's  webs.  And  in  such  case,  what  is  a  life  after  death,  when 
all,  according  to  the  differences  of  their  advancement  in  the  regenera- 
tion, are  to  be  arranged  in  heaven,  or  according  to  the  differences  of 
their  rejection  of  regeneration,  in  hell,  but  a  merely  carnal  life,  thus 
like  that  of  a  fish  or  a  crab?"— T.  C.  R.  581,  582. 

From  all  this  the  inference  cannot  well  fail  to  be  drawn, 
that  the  essence  of  Atonement,  according  to  the  new  de- 
velopments vouchsafed  to  Swedenborg,  lies  not  in  any 
vicarious  satisfaction  made  by  the  blood  of  Christ  to  the 
demands  of  injured  justice,  but  in  that  pacification  which 
results  from  the  triumphs  of  the  Lord's  conjoint  Divinity 
and  humanity  over  the  infernal  hosts  who  held  man's 
moral  nature  in  bondage,  and  thus  enabling  him  to  be 
saved  by  a  life  of  righteousness,  the  fruit  of  regeneration. 
"  In  order  to  remove  hell,  and  so  to  avert  the  impending 
damnation,  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  and  did  re- 
move and  subdue  it,  and  thxis  opened  heaven,  so  that  he 
might  afterwards  be  present  with  man  on  earth,  and 
such  as  live  according  to  his  commandments^  and  iniglit 
consequently  regenerate  them;  for  those  toho  are  regene- 
rated are  saved.  The  cloctrine,  therefore,  which  the 
Church  maintains,  that  unless  the  Lord  had  come  into 
the  world,  no  one  could  have  been  saved,  is  to  be  under- 
stood in  this  sense,  that  unless  he  had  come  into  the 
world  no  one  coidd  have  hccn  regenerated^  In  the  mat- 
ter of  salvation  everything  hinges  upon  life  ;  a  new  life 
is  itself  the  essence  of  salvation,  and  the  grand  object  of 
the  incarnation,  and  therefore  the  quintessence  of  atone- 
ment, is  the  restoration  to  man  of  the  capability  of  a  re- 
newed spiritual  life,  which  had  been  lost  by  his  lapsing 
under  the  disastrous  power  of  the  sj)irits  of  evil. 

The  first  question,  undoubtedly,  that  occurs  here  is, 
whether  the  doctrine  is  true,  or  in  other  words,  whether 
it  is  scriptural.  On  this  head  we  appeal  to  the  leading 
scope  of  Scripture,  and  especially  the  drift  of  our  Lord's 
own  "teachings.  Now  that  the  doctrine  is  made  known, 
we  hold  it  to  be  the  most  obvious  and  legitimate  sense  of 
revelation  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  Ave  maintain  that  the 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


335 


Church  had  for  centuries  sunk  so  deep  in  the  abyss  of 
spiritual  blindness,  that  it  actually  required  just  such  an 
illumination  as  that  claimed  by  Swedenborg  to  unfold 
the  genuine  truth  on  this  head,  that  is,  to  develope  the 
real  sense  of  Scripture.  How  could  the  true  nature  of 
redemption  have  been  unfolded,  except  by  means  of  a 
discovery  of  the  relation  of  the  spiritual  tc  the  natural 
world  ?  And  how  could  this  discovery  have  been  made 
but  by  the  opening  of  the  spiritual  senses,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  illustrious  Seer  of  the  New  Church?  Yet  who 
would  have  thought  of  claiming  this,  if  the  prerogative 
had  not  been  real  ? 

III.  A  new  doctrine  of  Regeneration  stands  forth  conspi- 
cuous in  Swedenborg's  disclosures.  As  in  every  other 
system,  so  in  this,  the  nature  of  Regeneration  sustains  a 
close  relation  to  the  doctrines  taught  respecting  the 
Trinity  and  the  Atonement.  When  the  divine  essence 
is  conceived  of  under  the  tri personal  aspect,  and  the  doc- 
trine of  Atonement  is  simply  that  of  penal  satisfaction  to 
justice,  then  the  idea  of  regeneration  resolves  itself  into 
an  act  of  sovereignty  by  which  the  saving  benefits  of  the 
Atonement  are  applied  to  particular  persons,  who,  for 
inscrutable  reasons  in  the  Divine  mind,  are  selected  to  be 
the  objects  of  this  favor.  On  this  view,  regeneration  is 
set  forth  as  a  process  purely  miraculous,  and  referable 
directly  and  exclusively  to  the  sovereign  will  and  power 
of  Omnipotence.  Closelj'  analyzed,  it  will  be  found  to 
amount  to  an  act  of  spiritual  creation,  strikingly  analo- 
gous to  natural  creation,  which,  it  is  assumed,  was  a 
creation  out  of  nothing.  Accordingly  as  the  material 
universe  is  supposed  to  have  sprung  instantaneously  into 
being  by  virtue  of  the  simple  ^ai!  of  Jehovah,  so  by  a 
similar  procedure,  the  soul  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  is 
instantaneously  created  anew,  and  endowed  with  spiritual 
life.  There  is  a  direct  and  sudden  infusion  of  a  new 
principle  of  life,  where  there  was  nothing  but  the  deepest 
death  before.  This  change,  we  have  said,  is  according 
to  the  prevalent  doctrine  ijistantaneous,  for  its  abettors 
hold  that  thei'e  is  no  medium  between  life  and  death  ;  if 


336* 


THE  NEW  CHUECH  SYSTEM 


a  soul  is  at  one  moment  spiritually  dead,  and  the  next  is 
spiritually  alive,  the  change  must  of  course  have  been 
instantaneous.  And  not  only  so ;  it  is  a  part  of  the 
same  theory  that  the  process  is  complete  at  once.  Re- 
generation is  a  new  birth,  and  the  idea  of  a  regeneration 
which  is  not  complete  at  the  time  of  its  occurrence,  is  as 
incongruous,  in  the  view  of  the  old  theology,  as  is  that 
of  a  child  but  half  born.  If  born  at  all,  is  it  not  wholly 
born  ?  And  so,  if  the  soul  be  quickened  into  newness 
of  life,  can  we  conceive  of  its  being  left  by  the  Divine 
Regenerator  in  a  state  of  semi-vitality  ?  Such,  then,  is 
the  current  theory  of  regeneration.  The  subject  is  pas- 
sive in  the  act  of  being  regenerated,  though  he  is  sup- 
posed to  pass  through  certain  exercises,  and  to  perform 
certain  duties  both  before  and  after  the  event.  The  pro- 
cess is  regarded  as  the  great  turning-point  in  the  moral 
history  of  those  who  experience  it,  and  as  the  doctrine  of 
the  saints'  final  perseverance  aflbrds  every  security  that 
there  will  be  no  fatal  lapse  afterwards,  therefore  all 
anxiety  on  that  score  is  precluded,  and  the  great  aim  of 
pastors  and  teachers  is  to  get  the  pilgrims  fairly  into  the 
wiclcet-gate.,  making  comparatively  little  account  of  the 
subsequent  journey  to  the  Heavenly  City.  This,  they 
seem  to  think,  notwithstanding  all  its  hardships  and 
perils,  will  in  some  way  take  care  of  itself.  It  is  not 
denied,  of  course,  that  there  is  a  duty  of  Sanctification, 
which  is  formally  inculcated  from  the  sacred  desk  and  in 
the  manuals  of  piety,  but  it  is  preached  in  such  a  com- 
paratively cold  and  unimpassioned  manner,  as  proves  it 
to  hold  but  a  secondary  place,  as  viewed  by  the  side  of 
the  great  and  paramount  work  of  Regeneration.  For 
the  truth  of  this  statement  we  appeal  to  the  dominant 
style  of  pulpit  discourses  every  where,  especially  among 
the  Revivalists,  who  make  it  their  great  aim  to  get  their 
hearers  soundly  converted^  trusting  to  covenant  grace  to 
keep  them  so. 

What  now  is  the  contrary  and  contrasted  view  on  this 
theme  taught  in  the  New  Church  ?  In  the  first  place, 
Regeneration  in  this  system  is  a  grad^ial  and  orderly 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


337 


work,  entirely  remote  from  anything  abnormal,  arbitrary, 
or  miraculous.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  just  as  orderly  as 
the  opening  of  a  flower  or  the  growth  of  a  tree.  Man  is 
constituted  with  the  potency  of  the  opening  of  a  series  of 
successive  degrees  in  his  mind,  to  wit,  the  natural,  the 
spiritual,  and  the  celestial.  That  is  to  say,  when  these 
degrees  are  opened  at  all,  they  are  opened  in  this  order. 
But  it  does  not  follow  that  they  are  all  actually  opened 
in  all  men,  which  is  the  same  as  to  say  that  all  men  are 
not  regenerated,  for  thousands  and  millions  there  are  who 
never  get  beyond  the  natural  degree — the  degree  into 
which  all  men  are  born — the  degree  which  is  opened  to 
the  world  with  its  interests,  cares,  pursuits,  pleasures, 
ambitions,  honors,  glories,  and  gauds.  This  is  the  ele- 
ment of  the  natural  man  ;  he  is  open  and  receptive  to  all 
the  influences  and  delights  which  come  upon  him  from 
this  source.  They  are  congenial  to  him,  and  he  desires 
nothing  higher  or  better.  To  objects  and  interests  con- 
nected with  the  spiritual  world  and  a  heavenly  life,  his 
mind  is  hermetically  closed.  The  external  world  ad- 
dresses his  external  nature,  and  with  that  he  is  content. 
Under  these  circumstances,  we  may  say  that  his  designed 
development — that  for  which  he  was  originally  created 
— is  arrested.  He  is  like  a  ])lant  that  buds,  but  never 
blossoms  or  bears  fruit.  Remaining  in  this  state,  or 
upon  this  plane,  he  fails  to  reach  the  maturity  of  his  be- 
ing, for  this  no  one  ever  reaches  without  becoming  the 
subject  of  Regeneration.  ,^ 

But  how  is  this  work  accomplished,  and  in  what  res- 
pects do  the  teachings  of  the  New  Church  approve  them- 
selves of  a  higher  character  than  those  to  which  we  have 
adverted  ?  The  reply  to  this  query  involves  one  of  the 
most  striking  developments  of  the  New  Dispensation. 
It  affbrds  a  satisfactory  solution  of  a  grand  problem  in 
theology,  to  wit,  the  conjoint  agency  of  God  and  man 
in  the  work  of  man's  restoration  to  spiritual  life.  The 


that  man's  ruling  love,  which  determines  his  character 
and  his  destiny,  is  in  his  unregenerate  state  evil  and  not 


obviously  upon  the  fact 


338 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


good.  It  flows  forth  in  the  direction  of  the  world  and  of 
hell,  and  not  of  heaven.  It  is  indispensable  that  the 
quality  of  this  love  should  be  changed,  but  it  cannot  be 
changed  by  a  simple  act  of  the  will.  The  fixed  bent  of 
the  soul,  corroborated  by  long  years  of  habit,  can  never 
be  altered  by  a  bare  volition  to  that  eftect,  however  vigor- 
ously exerted.  Still  there  is  something  which  can  be 
done.  As  the  moral  character,  at  any  given  period  of  a 
man's  history,  is  the  result  of  tlio  accumulations  of  his 
previous  life — of  a  countless  series  of  repetitions  of  parti- 
cular acts — so  it  is  only  by  a  cessation  of  those  acts  that 
a  ^contrary  predominant  cast  of  character  can  ever  be 
acquired .  Repeated  outward  acts  of  evil  engender  more 
and  more  an  inward  love  of  the  evil.  If  this  love  is  ever 
to  be  abated,  the  outward  acts  which  had  formed  it  must 
be  abstained  from.  "  Where  no  fuel  is  the  lire  goeth 
out."  Man  has  the  power  of  self-compulsion  by  which 
he  can  withhold  himself  from  the  performance  of  any 
given  act.  The  devotee  of  the  intoxicating  bowl  can  re- 
frain from  drinking,  though  he  cannot  by  an  act  of  will, 
nor  by  one  act  of  abstinence,  extinguish  the  appetite. 
But  one  act  of  abstinence  does  something,  however  little, 
towards  effecting  this  result  in  the  end,  and  every  act  of 
this  kind  is  not  merely  the  negation  of  so  much  evil,  but 
the  actual  presence  of  the  opposite  good,  for  the  Divine 
influx  is  ever  pressing  for  admission  into  the  minds  of 
men,  and  gains  entrance  in  proportion  as  obstructions 
are  removed.  Evil  states  and  habits  constitute  these 
obstructions,  and  so  far  as  they  are  put  away,  the  con- 
trary goods  take  their  place.  How  explicit  is  our  author's 
testimony  on  this  head  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
paragraph,  showing  how  the  spiritual  mind  is  opened  : 

"  The  spiritual  mind  is  primarily  opened  by  man's  abstaining  from 
doing  evils,  because  they  are  contrary  to  the  divine  precepts  in  the 
Word  ;  if  man  abstains  from  evils  from  any  other  fear  than  this,  that 
mind  is  not  opened.  The  reasons  why  the  spiritual  mind  is  thereby 
opened  and  not  otherwise  are  these  :  First,  that  evils  must  first  be  re- 
moved with  man,  before  communication  and  conjunction  can  be  given 
him  with  heaven,  for  evils,  which  are  all  in  the  natural  man,  keep 
heaven  shut,  which  notwithstanding  must  be  opened,  inasmuch  as 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


339 


otlierwise  man  remains  natural.  The  second  reason  is,  because  the 
Word  is  from  the  Lord,  and  consequently  the  Lord  is  in  the  Word,  in- 
somuch that  He  is  the  Word,  for  the  Word  is  divine  truth,  all  which 
is  from  the  Lord ;  hence  it  follows,  that  he  who  abstains  from  doing 
evils,  because  they  are  contrary  to  the  divine  precepts  in  the  Word,  ab- 
stains from  them  by  influence  from  the  Lord.  The  third  reason  is,  that 
iu  proportion  as  evils  are  removed,  in  the  same  proportion  goods  enter ; 
that  this  is  the  case,  man  may  see  from  natural  lumen  alone,  for  lasci- 
viousness  being  removed,  chastity  enters  ;  intemperance  being  removed, 
temperance  enters  ;  deceit  being  removed,  sincerity  enters ;  hatred  and 
the  delight  of  revenge  being  removed,  love  and  the  delight  of  love  and 
friendship  enters ;  and  so  in  other  cases  ;  and  the  reason  of  this  is,  be- 
cause the  Lord  enters,  and  with  the  Lord,  heaven,  in  proportion  as  man 
abstains  from  doing  evils  from  the  Word,  because  he  then  abstains 
from  them  by  influence  from  the  Lord." — A.  E.  790. 

Iu  every  case,  therefore,  where  a  man  by  self-compul- 
sion shuns  evils  as  sins,  there  is  an  infusion  of  divine 
power  into  the  soul,  so  that  the  next  act  of  self-denial 
becomes  easier  than  the  former,  and  so  on  in  increasing 
ratio  as  he  persists  in  abstaining  from  actual  evils  of 
every  kind.  The  consequence  is,  that  as  the  force  of  the 
habit  becomes  weakened,  the  corresponding  love  from 
which  flow  the  external  actions,  is  weakened  in  the  same 
proportion,  till  at  length  an  opposite  love  is  established 
in  the  soul,  the  result  of  which  is  an  opposite  life.  This 
is  regeneration.  Man  is  active  in  the  process  by  com- 
pelling himself  to  refrain  from  the  habitual  acts  which 
bar  out  the  Divine  influx ;  and  the  Lord  is  active  by 
that  influx,  when  admitted,  in  subduing  the  workings  of 
the  natural  man,  and  turning  the  current  of  thought  and 
afiection  more  and  more  in  a  heavenward  channel.  Thus 
the  spiritual  and  celestial  degrees  of  the  mind  are  suc- 
cessively opened,  angelic  associations  established,  and 
final  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  the  essence  of  a  heaven- 
ly life,  eflected. 

The  work  in  its  commencement  is  exceedingly  feeble, 
resembling  the  first  obscure  dawnings  of  the  morning 
light,  which  are  almost  too  faint  to  be  perceived.  But 
it  becomes  more  and  more  perceptible  as  the  divine  life 
flows  in,  and  becomes  more  operative  in  its  control  over 
the  evil  elements  within,  and  their  manifestation  with- 


340 


THE  NEW  CHtTRCH  SYSTEM 


out,  just  as  the  light  of  the  sun  waxes  brighter  and 
brighter  to  the  perfect  day. 

Daring  all  this  process  the  understanding  takes  the 
lead,  and  by  its  power  of  elevating  itself  above  the  level 
of  the  will-principle,  dictates  the  course  to  be  pursued 
by  the  depraved  natural  principle  in  withholding  itself 
from  its  chosen  delights.  If  the  understanding  were 
merged  in  the  will,  as  is  the  case  both  with  those  who 
are  confirmed  in  good  and  those  who  are  confirmed  in 
evil,  this  process  would  be  impossible ;  but  it  has  been 
ordered  of  the  divine  mercy  since  the  fall,  that  these 
faculties  should  be  separated,  and  the  understanding 
made  capable  of  acting,  in  the  first  instance,  in  disjunc- 
tion from  the  will,  in  order  that  regeneration  wrought  in 
freedom  and  rationality  might  be  possible.  And  for 
ourselves  we  are  satisfied  that  this  idea  of  the  designed 
separation  of  the  two  grand  principles  of  our  being  for 
such  an  end  would  never  have  entered  the  human  mind 
had  it  not  been  suggested  from  above.  But  while  truth 
in  the  operations  of  the  intellect  holds  the  ascendency  at 
the  commencement,  and  in  the  earlier  stages  of  regene- 
ration, as  leading  to  good,  yet  subsequently  this  order  is 
reversed,  good  gains  the  upper  hand,  and  truth  is  attained 
as  the  normal  product  or  outbirth  of  good.  Thus  it  is 
that  "  the  good  man  is  satisfied  from  himself"  He  has 
in  his  devout  affection  a  never-fiiiling  spring  of  truth,  for 
good  is  warming  the  seminal  principle  of  all  trnth.  In 
proof  of  this  let  the  spiritual-minded  man  appeal  to  his 
own  experience.  As  he  advances  in  the  christian  life,  is 
he  not  conscious  of  wearying  in  great  measure  of  exter- 
nal acquisitions  of  knowledge  ?  Does  he  not  find  himself 
instinctively  turning  inward,  and  seeking  satisfaction  in 
what  arises  from  within  the  domain  of  his  own  bosom  ? 
Yet  where  has  this  idea  ever  been  advanced  before?  It 
is  peculiar  to  the  New  Church,  and  the  New  Church 
finds  its  recorded  commencement  in  the  writings  of  Swe- 
denborg. 

IV.  The  system  announced  by  Swedenborg  presentsan 
entirely  new  view  of  the  nature  and  relations  of  Charity 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  341 


and  Faith  in  the  economy  of  salvation.  This  view  is 
based  upon  the  psychological  distinction  between  Love 
and  Intellect,  or  Will  and  Understanding,  in  which  the 
Love  or  Will  principle  is  the  fundamental  ground  of  be- 
ing, and  the  generating  source  of  all  thought.  Love,  in 
fact,  is  an  essence  and  not  a  quality.  It  is  the  very  in- 
most element  of  existence,  and  is  to  intellect  what  heat 
is  to  liglit.  Charity  is  the  term  applied  to  Love  when 
its  object  is  more  especially  the  neighbor  rather  than  the 
Lord,  and  Faith  is  the  product  of  Love  or  Charity,  as  it 
comes  more  properly  within  the  category  of  the  Intellect. 
Still  a  genuine  faith  cannot  exist  except  as  it  is  rooted  in 
the  good  of  charity,  which  is  in  fact  the  essential  life  of 
faith.  That  a  contrary  impression  exists  widely  in  the 
christian  world — an  impression,  to  wit,  that  charity  is  the 
fruit  of  faith — is  beyond  a  doubt ;  and  that  this  idea  has 
led  to  immeasurable  mischief  in  the  church  is  equally 
past  question.  Had  the  truth  been  known  upon  the  in- 
trinsic nature,  and  the  relative  offices  of  Love  and  Faith, 
the  case  would  have  been  far  different.  The  pernicious 
dogma  of  salvation  by  faith  alone  would  scarcely  have 
been  broached  to  the  world.  The  true  doctrine  on  this 
subject  is,  we  conceive,  clearly  taught  in  the  following 
paragraph,  which  is  replete  with  a  philosophy  that  the 
schools  have  never  reached  : — 

"  That  all  things  of  heaven  and  of  the  church  are  from  the  good  of 
love,  and  that  the  good  of  love  is  from  the  Lord,  cannot  be  seen,  and 
therefore  it  cannot  be  known,  unless  it  be  demonstrated.  The  reason 
why  it  is  not  known  in  consequence  of  its  not  being  seen,  is,  because 
good  does  not  enter  into  the  thought  of  man  like  truth,  for  truth  is 
seen  in  thought,  inasmuch  as  it  is  from  the  light  of  heaven,  but  good  is 
only  felt,  because  it  is  from  the  heat  of  heaven,  and  it  rarely  happens 
that  any  one,  while  reflecting  upon  what  he  thinks,  attends  to  what  he 
feels,  but  only  to  what  he  sees ;  this  is  the  reason  why  the  learned  have 
attributed  every  thing  to  thought  and  not  to  affection  ;  and  why  the 
church  has  attributed  every  thing  to  faith,  and  not  to  love,  when,  never- 
theless, the  truth,  which  at  this  day  in  the  church  is  said  to  be  of  faith, 
or  is  called  faith,  is  only  the  form  of  good  which  is  of  love.  Now  since 
man  does  not  see  good  in  his  thought,  for  good,  as  was  observed,  is 
only  felt,  and  is  felt  under  various  species  of  delight ;  and  since  man 
does  not  attend  to  the  things  which  he  feels  in  thought,  but  to  those 
30 


342 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


which  he  sees  there,  therefore  he  calls  all  that  good  which  he  feels  de- 
lightful, and  he  feels  evil  as  delightful,  this  being  ingenerate  or  inherent  in 
him  by  birth,  and  proceeding  from  the  love  of  self  and  the  world,  this  is 
the  reason  why  it  is  not  known  that  the  good  of  love  is  the  all  of  heaven 
and  the  church,  and  that  this  in  man  is  only  from  the  Lord,  and  that 
it  does  not  flow  from  the  Lord  into  any  but  such  as  shun  evils  and  the 
delights  thereof  as  sins.  This  is  what  is  to  be  understood  by  the  Lord's 
words,  that  the  law  and  the  prophets  hang  upon  these  two  command- 
ments, '  Thou  shalt  love  God  above  all  things,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self (Matt.  xxii.  3.5-38)  ;  and  I  can  aver,  that  there  does  not  exist  a 
grain  of  truth,  which  in  itself  is  truth  in  man,  except  so  far  as  it  pro- 
ceeds from  the  good  of  love  from  the  Lord,  and  therefore  neither  is 
there  a  grain  of  faith,  which  in  itself  is  faith — that  is,  a  living,  saving, 
and  spiritual  faith,  except  so  far  as  it  proceeds  from  charity,  which  is 
from  the  Lord.  Inasmuch  as  the  good  of  love  is  the  all  of  heaven  and 
the  church,  therefore  the  universal  heaven  and  the  universal  church  are 
arranged  by  the  Lord  according  to  the  affections  of  love,  and  not  ac- 
cording to  anything  of  thought  separated  from  them  ;  for  thought  is 
affection  in  form,  just  as  speech  is  sound  in  form." — A.  E.  1217. 

This  view  of  tlie  intrinsic  relation  of  Goodness  and 
Truth,  or  Love  and  Intellect,  prej^ares  us  for  understand- 
ing more  clearly  and  admitting  more  readily  the  truth  of 
the  general  proposition,  that  Charity  produces  Faith  in- 
stead of  Faitli  Charity. 

"  That  spiritual  love,  which  is  charity,  produces  faith,  may  appear 
from  this  circumstance  only,  that  man  after  death,  who  is  then  called  a 
spirit,  is  nothing  eke  but  affection,  which  is  of  love,  and  that  his 
thought  is  thence  derived,  wherefore  the  universal  angelic  heaven  is 
arranged  into  societies  according  to  the  varieties  of  affections,  and 
every  one  in  heaven,  in  whatever  society  he  may  be,  thinks  from  Ms 
own  affection  ;  hence  then  it  is  that  affection,  which  is  love,  produces 
faith,  and  the  faith  is  according  to  the  quality  of  the  affection ;  for 
faith  is  nothing  else  but  to  think  that  a  thing  is  so  in  verity  :  by  afifec- 
tion  is  meant  love  in  its  continuity.  But  man  in  the  world  at  this  day 
is  ignorant  that  his  thought  is  from  affection  and  according  to  it,  and 
the  reason  is,  because  he  sees  his  thought,  but  not  his  affection,  and 
whereas  thought  is  his  affection  in  a  visible  form,  therefore  he  knows 
no  otherwise  than  that  the  whole  mind  of  man  is  thought ;  the  case 
was  otherwise  formerly  with  the  ancients,  where  the  churches  were, 
who,  inasmuch  as  they  knew  that  love  produces  all  things  of  thought, 
therefore  made  charity,  which  is  the  affection  of  knowing  truths,  of  un- 
derstanding them,  likewise  of  willing  them,  and  thereby  becoming  wise, 
the  principle  medium  of  salvation;  and  inasmuch  as  that  affection 
makes  one  with  faith,  therefore  they  were  unacquainted  with  the  term 
faith.    From  these  considerations  it  may  not  only  appear  how  faith  is 


KEFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


343 


formed  with  man,  but  also  that  faith  can  never  produce  charity,  but 
that  charity,  wliich  is  spiritual  love,  forms  it  to  a  resemblance  of  itself, 
and  therein  presents  an  image  of  itself,  and  that  hence  it  is  that  the 
quality  of  faith  is  known  from  charity  and  its  goods,  which  are  good 
works,  as  the  quality  of  a  tree  is  known  from  its  fruit :  by  the  tree, 
however,  is  not  understood  feith,  but  the  man  as  to  his  life,  by  the 
leaves  thereof  are  signified  truths  whereby  is  faith,  and  by  the  fruits 
.thereof  are  signified  goods  of  life,  wliich  are  goods  of  charity.  Besides 
these  there  are  innumerable  other  arcana  respecting  the  formation  of 
faith  by  charity  from  the  Lord  ;  but  still  the  Lord  alone  operates  all 
those  arcana,  whilst  man  is  ignorant  thereof ;  all  the  operation  which 
is  necessary  on  the  part  of  man,  is  to  learn  truths  from  the  Word,  and 
to  live  according  to  them." — A.  E.  790. 

To  the  same  purpose  speaks  the  same  high  authority 
in  the  ensuing  passage  : 

"  Inasmuch  as  in  the  preceding  articles  the  existence  of  faith  from 
charity  is  treated  of,  it  shall  also  be  briefly  explained  which  is  prior 
and  which  posterior.  It  has  been  shown  that  charity  produces  faith  as 
good  produces  truth,  and  as  affection  produces  thought,  likewise  as 
lire  produces  light,  wherefore  it  is  speaking  altogether  contrary  to  or- 
der, and  inversely,  to  say  that  faith  produces  charity,  or  the  goods 
thereof,  which  arc  called  good  works.  But  it  is  to  be  observed  that 
charity,  which  in  its  essence  is  the  affection  of  knowing,  of  understand- 
ing, of  willing,  and  of  doing  truth,  does  not  come  into  any  perception 
of  man,  before  it  has  formed  itself  in  the  thought,  which  is  from  the 
understanding,  for  then  it  presents  itself  under  some  form  or  appearance, 
by  virtue  whereof  it  appears  before  the  interior  sight :  for  thought  that 
a,  thing  is  so  in  verity,  is  called  faith  :  hence  it  may  appear  that  charity 
is  actually  prior  and  faith  posterior,  as  good  is  actually  prior  and  truth 
posterior,  or  as  the  producing  principle  is  essentially  prior  to  the  pro- 
duct, and  as  essence  is  prior  to  existence ;  for  charity  is  from  the  Lord, 
and  is  also  first  farmed  in  the  spiritual  mind,  but  whereas  charity  does 
not  appear  to  man  before  it  is  faith,  therefore  it  may  be  said,  that  faith 
is  not  in  man  before  it  is  made  charity  in  form  ;  wherefore  concerning 
the  existence  of  charity  and  faith  with  man,  it  may  be  said  that  they 
both  exist  at  the  same  moment ;  for  although  charity  produces  faith, 
still,  inasmuch  as  they  make  one,  one  can  never  be  given  separate  from 
the  other,  so  far  as  comes  to  man's  perception,  neither  as  to  degree  nor 
ivs  to  quality." — A.  E.  795. 

The  above  enunciation  of  the  relation  of  Charity  and 
Faith  is  all-important  in  its  bearings  upon  the  accredited 
doctrine  of  Justification  by  Faith  alone.  Nothing  is 
more  notorious  than  the  prominence  given  in  Protestant 
Christendom  to  this  tenet.    According  to  it  the  simple 


344 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


act  accepting  and  appropriating  the  atoning  merits  of 
Christ  is  that  which  concentrates  within  itself  the  justi- 
fying virtue  of  faith,  and  from  this  act  every  admixture 
of  charity  or  good  works  is  to  be  carefully  excluded,  lest 
in  some  way  a  latent  element  of  merit  should  insinuate 
itself,  and  thus  detract  from  the  all-perfect  merits  of  the 
Saviour.  True,  indeed,  this  fact  of  the  exclusion  of 
Charity  from  all  consideration  in  the  process  of  justifica- 
tion will  for  the  most  part  be  denied  by  the  advocates  of 
the  scheme,  for  the  reason  that  certain  invented  methods 
of  conjoining  faith  and  works  have  been  adojjted  in  the- 
ology, whereby  the  deadly  wound  inflicted  upon  the 
truth  by  the  doctrinal  separation  of  these  principles  is 
ostensibly  healed.  The  repeated  mention  in  the  Word 
of  works,  of  life,  of  loving  and  doing,  goes  so  emphati- 
cally against  the  idea  of  resting  the  whole  result  upon  a 
bare  act  of  faith,  that  the  asserters  of  the  doctrine  feel 
themselves  under  a  kind  of  involuntary  constraint  to 
give  them  some  place  in  the  scheme  which  they  have 
devised.  But  it  is  not  intelligently  done,  as  a  searching 
logical  inquest  will  show.  They  pay  an  unconscious  tri- 
bute to  truth,  by  acknowledging  that  some  provision  is 
to  be  made  for  the  operations  of  charity  in  the  process 
of  justification,  yet  you  find  it  impossible  to  discover 
precisely  where  it  comes  in.  The  promise  made  to  the 
ear  is  broken  to  the  heart,  for  it  is  palpable  that  in  the 
formal  enunciation  of  the  doctrine.  Charity  and  its  works 
are  utterly  excluded  from  all  participation  in  the  act. 
On  this  head  we  insert  a  paragraph  from  our  "  Reply  to 
Dr.  Woods,"  published  some  years  since.  The  Dr.  had 
charged  Swedenborg  with  misrepresenting  the  doctrine 
of  Luther  and  the  Keforniers  in  regard  to  the  tenet  we 
are  now  considering :  "  I  cannot  but  ask  how  Sweden- 
borg has  misrepresented  the  doctrine,  and  if  he  has,  what 
is  the  doctrine  which  is  to  be  considered  as  adopted  by 
the  Protestant  churches  ?  I  wish  to  know  whether  they 
adhere  to  the  Augsburg  Confession,  the  Formula  Con- 
cordicB,  which  teaches  that  good  works,  which  are  said 
freely  and  spontaneously  to  follow  faith,  and  are  called 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  345 

the  fruits  of  foitb,  have  no  real  connection  with  faith,  and 
accordingly  do  not  contribute  at  all  to  salvation.  Is  it 
your  belief  that  these  works  are  merely  signs  and  mani- 
festations of  a  justifying  faith,  but  not  entering  at  all 
into  its  essence  and  efficacy  ?  I  can  truly  say  that  I  am 
exceedingly  anxious  for  light  on  this  point,  for  in  no  de- 
partment of  Protestant  Theology,  excepting  perhaps  that 
of  the  Trinity,  do  I  find  myself  so  beset  with  mystery  and 
confusion  as  in  regard  to  the  fundamental  principle  of  a 
sinner's  justification.  On  the  one  hand,  it  is  ascribed  to 
faith  to  the  exclusion  of  works,  or  of  the  moral  element 
from  which  good  works  proceed  ;  on  the  other,  it  is  said 
it  must  not  be  a  dead  faith,  or  a  faith  not  productive  of 
such  works.  But  a  dead  faith  is  not  properly  any  faith 
at  all,  and  no  one  supposes  that  a  man  can  be  justified 
without  a  faith  that  is  alive.  What  is  it  then  that  consti- 
tutes the  life  of  faith — such  a  faith  as  actually  produces 
justification  ?  Is  it  not  love  or  charity,  and  is  not  this 
element  to  be  taken  into  account  in  the  justifying  func- 
tion of  faith  ?  Is  not  its  exclusion  like  ascribing  a  moral 
character  to  an  act  of  the  body  with  which  the  soul  has 
nothing  to  do  ?  "What  is  a  mere  intellectual  belief  of  the 
truth,  however  strong  and  confident,  which  is  not  per- 
vaded and  vitalized  by  the  affection  of  love  ?  And  what 
a  strange  anomaly  must  it  be  in  tlie  divine  proceedings 
to  account  a  man  just  in  the  absence  of  the  only  princi- 
ple which  can  make  him  just? — to  insist  upon  a  faith 
which  can  only  be  a  living  because  a  loving  faith,  and 
yet  exclude  from  consideration  the  verv  love  which  is  its 
life?" 

It  will  be  seen  from  tho  tenor  of  what  we  have  now 
spread  before  our  readers,  that  the  teaching  of  Sweden- 
borg  on  the  doctrine  of  Faith  and  Charity,  in  their  mu- 
tual relations  to  each  other,  is  immeasurably  in  advance 
of  any  thing  propounded  to  the  world  by  its  theological 
oracles,  inasmuch  as  they  are  founded  upon  a  psycholo- 
gical or  ontological  necessity  growing  out  of  the  very 
elements  of  our  being.  Love  is  the  inmost  essence  of 
life,  while  intellect  is  the  form  of  its  manifestation.  As 
30* 


346 


THE  NEW  CHUECH  SYSTEM 


faith  comes  primarily  into  the  category  of  the  intellect, 
though  still  as  an  element  of  salvation  inseparable  from 
charity  or  love,  so  it  must  be  in  its  own  nature  posterior 
to  love  and  its  works,  and  not  their  parent,  as  the  creed 
of  Christendom  for  the  most  part  maintains.  Let  the 
candid  judge  of  dogmas  pronounce  upon  the  two  oppos- 
ing views,  and  then  let  him  say  whether  he  deems  the 
developments  of  Swedenborg  on  this  score  as  coming 
within  the  reach  of  man's  unaided  ability.  "Was  such  an 
enucleation  of  the  inner  structure  of  our  being  to  have 
been  rationally  anticipated  a  priori  as  the  basis  of  the 
true  doctrine  ?  And  is  not  the  fact  of  its  having  been 
done  by  human  agency  a  proof  that  it  has  been  dictated 
by  a  super-human  authority  ? 

Beside  the  doctrinal  department  of  Swedenborg's 
writings,  there  is  another  portion  usually  known  as  the 
Memorahilia,  or  Memorable  Relations^  the  scope  of 
which  is  to  unfold  the  leading  phenomena  and  laws  of 
the  spiritual  world.  Into  this  world  he  claims  to  have 
been  admitted  by  a  peculiar  kind  of  intromission,  to 
which  we  niay  properly  give  the  name  of  extacy  or 
trance,  a  state  similar  to  that  of  the  ancient  prophets 
when  favored  with  visions  and  revelations  of  God,  ex- 
cept that  in  Swedenborg's  case,  the  rational  faculty,  in- 
stead of  being  in  the  least  suspended,  was  all  along 
sustained  in  the  full  exercise  of  its  highest  functions, 
and  he  was  enabled  to  describe  on  the  natural  plane 
what  was,  at  the  very  time,  transpiring  on  the  spirit- 
ual. This  fact  distinguished  Swedenborg's  spiritual 
experience  from  that  of  all  the  seers  and  spiritual  illu- 
mined who  had  ])receded  him.  We  do  not  learn,  in  re- 
gard to  any  of  them,  that  they  were  empowered,  as  he 
was,  to  be  thus  in  the  natural  and  the  spiritual  world  at 
one  and  the  same  time. 

In  the  enjoyment  of  this  prerogative,  he  has  poured  a 
flood  of  light  on  the  mysteries  of  trans-sepulchral  life. 
He  has  disclosed  to  us  a  state  of  existence  appropriate 
to  spirits  disenthralled  from  clay,  and  yet  so  related,  in  a 
thousand  points,  to  the  terrestrial  life  that  we  perceive  the 


KEFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  OEIGIN.  347 


same  great  fundamental  laws  of  being  obtaining  in  both 
worlds,  and  are  thei-efore  furnished  in  what  we  know  of 
the  present,  with  a  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the 
alleged  facts  of  the  future.  On  this  class  of  statements 
we  are  called  to  pronounce  judgment,  and  the  verdict 
we  may  pronounce  upon  them  will  reflect  itself  upon 
the  whole  system  of  which  they  form  a  part.  The  force 
of  the  evidence  drawn  from  this  source  depends  upon  the 
fact,  that  many  of  the  relations  are  of  a  character  in- 
trinsically rational  and  probable,  and  at  the  same  time 
apparently  so  strange  and  anomalous,  so  remote  from  all 
ideas  previously  entertained  on  the  subject,  that  we  are 
here  also  shut  up  to  the  belief  of  a  divine  suggestion. 
"We  are  free  to  appeal  to  the  intelligence  of  all  considerate 
men,  whether  they  deem  it  at  all  probable,  that  the  fol- 
lowing professed  revelations  would  ever  have  been  made 
had  they  not  been  true  ;  that  is,  would  they  ever  have  oc- 
curred to  any  mind  so  imbued  with  traditionary  dogmas 
and  impressions  as  even  Swedenborg's  must  inevitably 
have  been,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed. 
Examples  in  point  are  very  numerous  ;  we  adduce  a  few 
of  the  most  striking. 

I.  The  formation  of  a  new  heaven.  What  eniauciation 
could  be  uttered  more  at  variance  with  all  j^reconceived 
ideas  than  this  ?  Is  not  heaven  nniversally  looked  upon 
as  the  very  type  of  permanence  ?  Should  we  not  a  pri- 
ori as  soon  look  for  a  change  in  the  unchangeable  Jeho- 
vah himself,  as  for  any  new  phase  in  the  heaven  in  which 
he  dwells,  and  which  is  made  heaven  by  his  immutable 
presence?  Yet  this  is  among  the  disclosures  of  the 
New  Church  system,  where  also  the  grounds  of  it  are 
exhibited. 

" '  And  I  saw  a  new  lieaven  and  a  new  earth,'  signifies  that  a  new 
heaven  was  formed  out  of  Christians  by  the  Lord,  which  at  this  day 
is  called  the  Christian  heaven,  where  they  are  who  had  worshipped  the 
Lord  and  lived  according  to  his  commandments  in  the  Word,  who 
therefore  have  charity  and  faith  ;  in  which  heaven  also  are  all  the  in- 
fants of  Christians.    By  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  is  not  meant 


348 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


a  natural  heaven  visible  to  the  eye,  nor  a  natural  earth  inhabited  by 
men,  but  a  spiritual  heaven  is  meant  and  an  earth  belonging  to  that 
heaven  where  angels  are  ;  that  such  a  heaven  and  an  earth  belonging 
to  it  is  meant,  every  one  sees  and  acknowledges,  if  he  can  only  be  ab- 
stracted a  little  from  ideas  purely  natural  and  material  when  he  reads  the 
Word.  That  an  angelic  heaven  is  meant  is  evident,  because  it  is  said 
in  the  next  verse,  that  he  saw  the  city  holy  Jerusalem  coming  down 
from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband, 
by  which  is  not  meant  any  Jerusalem  that  came  down,  but  a  church, 
and  the  church  upon  earth  comes  down  from  the  Lord  out  of  the  an- 
gelic heaven,  because  the  angels  of  heaven  and  men  of  the  earth,  in 
all  things  relating  to  the  church,  make  one.  Hence  it  may  be  seen, 
how  naturally  and  materially  they  have  thought  and  do  think,  who 
from  these  words  and  those  which  follow  in  the  same  verse  have  fabri- 
cated a  notion  that  the  world  is  to  be  destroyed,  and  that  there  will  be 
a  new  creation  of  all  things.  This  new  heaven  is  sometimes  treated  of 
above  in  the  Apocaly]Dse,  especially  in  chap.  xiv.  and  xv. ;  it  is  called 
the  Christian  heaven,  because  it  is  distinct  from  the  ancient  heavens, 
which  were  composed  of  men  of  the  Church  before  the  Lord's  coming  ; 
these  ancient  heavens  are  above  the  Christian  heaven :  for  the  heavens 
are  like  expanses,  one  above  another  ;  it  is  the  same  with  each  par- 
ticular heaven  ;  for  each  heaven  by  itself  is  distinguished  into  three 
heavens,  an  inmost  or  third,  a  middle  or  second,  and  a  lowest  or  first, 
and  so  it  is  with  this  new  heaven ;  I  have  seen  them  and  conversed 
with  them.  In  this  new  Christian  heaven  are  all  those  who,  from  the 
first  establishment  of  the  Christian  Church,  worshipped  the  Lord,  and 
lived  according  to  His  commandments  in  the  Word,  and  who  thereby 
were  in  charity  and  at  the  same  time  in  faith  from  the  Lord  through 
the  Word,  consequently  who  were  not  in  a  dead  faith  but  in  a  living  faith. 
In  that  heaven  likewise  are  all  the  infants  of  Christians,  because  they 
have  been  brought  up  by  angels  in  those  two  essentials  of  the  church, 
which  con.sist  in  acknowledging  the  Lord  to  be  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  in  leading  a  life  conformable  to  His  commandments  in  the 
decalogue." — A.  E.  1285. 

"  It  is  written  in  the  Revelation,  '  I  saw  a  new  heaveu  and  a  new 
earth  :  for  the  former  heaven  and  the  former  earth  were  passed  away. 
And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city  New  Jerusalem  coming  down  from  God 
out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband' (xxi.  1,  2). 
The  like  also  is  written  in  Isaiah  :  '  Behold,  I  create  a  new  heaven  and 
a  new  earth  :  be  yo  glad  and  rejoice  for  ever ;  for  behold  I  create 
Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy'  (Ixv.  17, 18) .  It  has  been 
shown  already  in  this  chapter,  that  a  new  heaven  is  at  this  day  form- 
ing by  the  Lord,  of  such  Christians  as  acknowledged  him  in  the  world, 
and  were  able  after  their  departure  out  of  the  world,  to  acknowledge 
him  to  be  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  according  to  his  own  words  in 
Matt,  xxviii.  18."— T.  C.  R.  781. 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  349 


"  It  is  agreeable  to  divine  order,  that  a  new  heaven  be  formed  before 
a  new  Church  on  earth  ;  for  the  Church  is  both  internal  and  external, 
and  the  internal  church  forms  a  one  with  the  church  in  heaven,  and  con- 
sequently with  heaven  ;  and  that  the  internal  must  be  formed  before  the 
external,  and  afterwards  the  external  by  the  internal,  is  a  truth  known 
and  acknowledged  by  the  clergy  in  the  world.  In  proportion  as  this 
new  heaven,  which  constitutes  the  internal  of  the  Church  in  man,  in- 
creases, in  the  same  proportion  the  New  Jerusalem,  that  is,  the  New 
Church,  comes  down  from  that  heaven  ;  so  that  this  caimot  be  effected 
in  a  moment,  but  in  proportion  as  the  faJses  of  the  former  church  are 
removed  ;  for  what  is  new  cannot  gain  admission  where  falses  have  be- 
fore been  implanted,  unless  those  falses  be  first  rooted  out ;  and  this 
must  first  take  place  among  the  clergy,  and  by  their  means  among  the 
laity  ;  for  the  Lord  says, '  No  man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  bottles, 
else  the  bottles  break  and  the  wine  runneth  out ;  but  they  put  new 
wine  into  new  bottles,  and  both  are  preserved.' — (Matt.  ix.  17;  Mark 
ii.  22  ;  Luke  v.  37,  38.)"— T.  C.  R.  784. 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  reason  of  the  formation 
of  this  New  Heaven  was,  that  it  might  constitute  the  in- 
ternal of  a  New  Church  to  be  established  on  the  earth  in 
fulfilment  of  the  oracles  of  prophecy.  This  supposes  a 
closer  connexion  between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural 
worlds  than  had  ever  been  conceived  before— so  close, 
indeed,  that  the  one  is  destined  to  serve  as  the  soul  of  the 
other  ;  but  whether  the  novelty  of  the  announcement  is 
sufficient  to  make  it  incredible,  we  leave  it  to  the  world 
to  determine.  The  inspired  predictions  mean  something  ; 
can  a  more  rational  explanation  be  suggested  ? 

II.  It  must  befelt  to  be  a  strange  intimation,  that  men, 
or  rather  men-spirits,  of  every  class,  are  allowed  to  make 
the  experiment  whether  they  can  be  happy  in  heaven. 

"It  is  to  be  observed,  that  in  the  other  life  heaven  is  denied  to  no 
one  by  the  Lord,  and  that  as  many  as  will  may  be  admitted ;  ^heaven 
consists  of  societies  of  angels,  who  are  in  the  good  of  love  towards  the 
neighbor  and  of  love  to  the  Lord  ;)  they  are  let  into  the  societies  of 
such  when  they  are  let  into  heaven,  but  when  the  sphere  of  their  life, 
that  is,  when  the  life  of  their  love  is  not  in  agreement,  in  this  case 
there  ensues  a  conflict,  and  hence  they  have  torment  and  dejection. 
Thus  they  are  instructed  concerning  the  life  of  heaven,  and  concerning 
the  state  of  their  own  life  respectively,  also  concerning  this  circum- 
stance, that  no  one  hath  heaven  merely  by  being  received  or  let  in,  as 
is  the  common  opinion  in  the  world,  and  likewise  that  man,  by  a  life 
in  the  world  acquires  the  capacity  of  abiding  hereafter  with  those  who 
are  in  heaven." — A.  C.  8945. 


350 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


"  Sometimes  spirits  recently  deceased,  who  interiorly  have  been  evil 
during  their  lives  in  the  world,  but  exteriorly  have  borrowed  an  ap- 
pearance of  good  by  the  works  which  they  have  done  for  others  for 
the  sake  of  self  and  the  world,  have  complained  that  they  were  not  ad- 
mitted into  heaven,  they  having  no  other  opinion  of  heaven  than  as  of  a 
place  into  which  they  might  be  admitted  by  favor.  But  it  was  some- 
times answered  them  that  heaven  is  denied  to  no  one,  and  if  they  were 
desirous  of  it  they  might  be  admitted.  Some  also  were  admitted  to 
the  heavenly  societies  which  were  nearest  the  entrance,  but  when  they 
came  thither,  by  reason  of  the  contrariety  and  repugnance  of  the  life,  they 
perceived,  as  was  said,  an  agony  and  torment,  as  it  were  infernal,  and 
cast  themselves  down  thence,  saying  afterwards  that  heaven  to  them 
was  hell,  and  that  they  had  never  believed  that  heaven  was  such." — 
A.  C.  4220. 

If  heaven  be  a  state  rather  than  a  place,  why  should 
not  this  be  deemed  credible  ?  What  is  there  in  the  Di- 
vine perfections  that  should  forbid  to  any  lost  spirit  an 
experimental  proof  that  his  exclusion  from  bliss  was 
owing  to  no  arbitrary  decree  of  Omnipotence,  but  solely 
to  the  incapacity  created  by  the  moral  status  of  his  own 
mind  ?  Yet  who  would  have  ever  thought  of  this  had 
it  not  been  true  ? 

III.  Of  a  similar  character  is  the  intimation,  that  even 
the  righteous  who  are  saved,  often  suffer  severely  in  the 
other  world  prior  to  their  full  elevation  to  heaven. 

"  Besides  the  hells,  there  are  also  vastations,  concerning  which  much 
is  stated  in  the  Word.  For  man,  by  reason  of  actual  sins,  brings  with 
him  into  another  life  innumerable  evils  and  falses,  which  he  accu- 
mulates and  conjoins  :  and  this  is  the  case  even  with  those  who  have 
lived  uprightly.  Before,  then,  they  can  be  elevated  into  heaven,  their 
evils  and  falses  must  be  dissipated,  and  this  dissipation  is  called  vasta- 
tion.  There  are  many  kinds  of  vastations,  and  the  times  of  vastation 
are  longer  and  shorter,  some  in  a  very  short  time  being  taken  up  into 
heaven,  and  some  immediately  after  death." — A.  C.  698. 

"  There  are  many  persons,  who  during  their  abode  in  the  world, 
through  simplicity  and  ignorance,  have  imbibed  falses  as  to  faith,  and 
have  formed  a  certain  species  of  conscience  according  to  the  principles 
of  their  faith,  and  have  not,  like  others,  lived  in  hatred,  revenge,  and 
adulteries.  These  in  another  life,  so  long  as  they  are  principled  in 
what  is  false,  cannot  be  introduced  into  the  heavenly  societies,  lest 
they  should  contaminate  them,  and  therefore  they  are  kept  for  a  cer- 
tain time  in  the  lower  (Rev.  vi.  9  ;  vii.  i ;  x.  5  ;  xiii.  11,  &c.)  earth, in 
order  that  they  may  put  off  these  false  principles.    The  periods  of  their 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  351 


continuance  there  are  longer  or  shorter  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
falsity,  the  life  which  they  have  thereby  contracted,  and  the  principles 
which  they  have  confirmed  in  themselves ;  and  some  of  them  suffer 
severely,  but  others  only  in  a  trifling  degree.  These  states  are  denomi- 
nated vastations,  and  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Word.  When 
the  time  of  vastation  is  over,  they  are  taken  up  into  heaven,  and,  being 
novitiates,  are  instructed  in  the  truths  of  faith  by  the  angels  amongst 
whom  they  arc  received." — A.  C.  1106. 

The  oiilj  plausible  objection  to  this  statement  is  one 
founded  upon  tlie  connected  dogmas  of  an  instantaneous 
and  sovereign  regeneration,  a  righteousness  imputed  by 
faith,  and  a  consequent  immediate  transmission  at  death 
to  the  heavenly  mansions.  A  virtual  response  to  this 
objection  will  have  been  read  in  the  tenor  of  our  pre- 
ceding remarks  upon  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  New 
Church.  To  those  remarks  we  have  nothing  now  to 
add. 

IV.  Parallel  with  the  above  is  the  declaration,  that  the 
Lord  never  punishes,  never  afflicts,  never  casts  into  hell 
any  of  his  creatures  ;  neither  is  he  ever  angry,  wrathful, 
or  vindictive,  inasmuch  as  these  are  passions  utterly  and 
eternally  repugnant  to  that  infinite  love,  mercy  and  be- 
nignity which  form  his  very  essence. 

"  Such  is  the  equilibrium  of  all  and  everything  in  anothrr  life,  that 
evil  punishes  itself,  so  that  in  evil  is  the  punishment  of  evil.  It  is  simi- 
lar in  respect  to  the  false,  which  returns  upon  him  who  is  principled 
therein,  hence  every  one  beings  punishment  and  torment  on  himself 
by  casting  himself  into  the  midst  of  the  diabolical  crew,  who  act  as  the 
executioners.  The  Lord  never  sends  any  one  into  hell,  but  is  desirous 
to  bring  all  out  of  hell ;  still  less  does  he  induce  torment ;  but  since 
the  evil  spirit  rushes  into  it  himself,  the  Lord  turns  all  punishment  and 
torment  to  some  good  and  use.  It  would  be  impossible  there  should  be 
any  such  thing  as  punishment,  unless  use  was  the  end  aimed  at  by  the 
Lord,  for  the  "Lord's  kingdom  is  a  kingdom  of  ends  and  uses,  but  the 
uses  which  the  infernal  spirits  are  able  to  promote,  are  most  vile,  and 
when  they  are  exercised  in  promoting  those  uses,  they  are  not  in  so 
great  a  state  of  torment ;  but  on  the  cessation  of  such  uses,  they  are 
cast  again  into  hell." — A.  C.  G96. 

Swedenborg  makes  the  torments  of  hell  to  be  the  fixed 
and  inevitable  result  of  the  moral  laws  by  which  the 
universe  of  creatures  is  governed,  and  consequently  pre- 


352 


THE  NEW  CHUECH  SYSTEM 


eludes  all  idea  of  anything  arbitrary  in  the  allotment  of 
the  wicked,  or  of  any  positive  direct  infliction  of  wrath 
on  the  part  of  the  Creator.  Evil  is  its  own  punishment, 
and  all  those  expressions  which  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
Lord,  by  his  own  act,  under  the  prompting  of  vengeance 
or  anger,  heaps  sufferings  on  the  wicked,  is  merely  the 
language  of  apparent  and  not  of  real  truth.  "  In  many 
passages  in  the  Word,  anger  and  wrath,  yea,  fury  against 
men  are  attributed  to  Jehovah,  when  yet  there  apper- 
tains to  Jehovah  pure  love  and  pure  mercy  towards 
man,  and  not  the  least  of  anger ;  this  is  said  in  the 
"Word  from  the  appearance,  for  when  men  are  against 
the  Divine,  and  hence  jireclude  the  influx  of  love  and 
mercy  to  themselves,  they  cast  themselves  into  the  evil 
of  punishment  and  into  hell ;  this  appears  as  unmerci- 
fulness  and  revenge  from  the  Divine,  on  account  of  the 
evil  which  they  have  done,  when  yet  nothing  of  the  sort 
is  in  the  Divine,  but  it  is  iu  the  evil  itself."— J..  C.  8483. 
This  idea  is  still  more  forcibly  amplified  in  the  following 
passage,  where  he  is  speaking  of  the  Lord's  "  breaking 
in  pieces  his  enemies  :"  "  They  are  called  enemies,  foes, 
and  haters,  not  that  the  Lord  is  an  enemy  to  them,  or 
bears  hatred  towards  them,  but  because  they  are  haters 
and  enemies  in  opposition  to  the  Divine  ;  but  when  they 
themselves  devastate  themselves  and  cast  themselves  into 
damnation  and  into  hell,  it  appears  as  if  it  comes  from 
the  Divine:  this  appearance  or  fallacy  is  like  what  be- 
fals  him  who  sees  the  sun  every  day  revolving  round  our 
earth,  and  hence  believes  that  it  is  the  motion  of  the  sun, 
when  yet  it  is  the  motion  of  the  earth ;  and  like  what 
befals  him  who  sins  against  the  laws,  and  on  that  ac- 
count is  judged  by  a  king  or  judge,  and  is  punished,  in 
that  he  believes  the  punishment  to  come  from  the  king 
or  judge,  when  yet  it  comes  from  himself,  who  acts  con- 
trary to  the  laws ;  or  like  what  befals  him  who  casts 
himself  into  water,  or  into  fire,  or  who  runs  against  a 
ointed  sword,  or  against  a  troop  of  enemies,  in  that  he 
elieves  that  his  destruction  comes  from  these  sources, 
when  yet  it  comes  from  himself:  such  is  the  case  with  those 


REFER AJJLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DrVIKE  ORIGIN.  353 

who  are  in  evil."— J..  G.  8282.  The  truth,  therefore, 
finds  no  fellowship  with  the  idea  that  the  torments  of 
hell  are  the  direct  inflictions  of  divine  wrath.  Although 
they  are  like  everything  else,  primarily  referable  to 
Jehovah,  yet  he  interposes  no  more  directly  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  his  ends  in  that  world  than  in  the 
present.  There,  as  well  as  here,  he  works  by  subordi- 
nate means  and  ministries,  and  no  more  punishes  the 
evil  than  rewards  the  good,  independent  of  the  operation 
of  established  moral  and  psychical  laws  of  order.  Con- 
sequently the  ground  appears  evident  of  Swedenborg's 
assertion,  that  God  casts  no  one  into  hell.  The  language 
which  implies  this  is  merely  economical.  As  man  is  the 
cause  of  his  own  evil,  and  as  evil  is  hell  so  far  as  it  ex- 
ists, he  as  voluntarily  plunges  himself  into  hell  as  he  does 
into  evil.  "  The  Lord  is  so  far  from  bringing  men  into 
hell,  that  he  delivers  man  from  hell,  as  far  as  man  does 
not  will  and  love  to  be  in  his  own  evil.  All  man's  will 
and  love  remains  with  him  after  death ;  he  who  wills 
and  loves  evil  in  the  world,  the  same  wills  and  loves  evil 
in  the  other  life,  and  then  he  no  longer  suffers  himself 
to  be  withdrawn  from  it.  Hence  it  is  that  the  man  who 
is  in  evil  is  tied  to  hell,  and  likewise  is  actually  there  as 
to  his  spirit,  and  after  death  desires  nothing  more  than  to 
be  where  his  own  evil  is :  wherefore  man  after  death  casts 
himself  into  hell,  and  not  the  Lord."— 5^  c5  U.  547.  It 
is  not,  however,  to  be  inferred  from  this,  that  the  terrors 
of  that  doom  are  at  all  abated  on  the  ground  of  their 
being  of  the  spirit's  own  procurement. 

Y.  It  is  a  signally  new  intimation  that  every  one  with- 
out exception  is  kindly  received  by  celestial  angels  upon 
his  first  coming  into  the  spiritual  world.  The  prevailing 
idea  inculcated  by  theology  has  been,  that  the  souls  of 
the  wicked,  as  soon  as  they  were  breathed  out  of  their 
earthly  tenements,  were  seized  upon  by  exulting  fiends 
and  plunged  forthwith  into  the  pit  of  hell.  Swedenborg 
gives  us  a  very  diff'erent  doctrine  on  this  head  : 

"  When  the  celestial  angels  are  with  a  resuscitated  person,  they  do 
not  leave  him,  because  they  love  every  one  ;  but  when  the  spirit  is  such 
81 


854 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTESI 


that  he  can  no  longer  be  in  company  with  the  celestial  angels,  he  desires 
to  depart  from  them.  .  .  .  But  still  the  angels  do  not  leave  him, 
but  he  dissociates  himself  from  them  ;  for  the  angels  love  every  one, 
and  desire  nothing  more  than  to  perform  kind  offices,  to  instruct,  and 
to  introduce  in  heaven  ;  their  highest  delight  consists  in  that.  When 
the  spirit  thus  dissociates  himself,  he  is  received  by  good  spirits  (of  a 
lower  grade  than  angels),  and  when  he  is  in  their  company  also,  all 
kind  offices  are  performed  for  him :  but  if  his  life  in  the  world  had 
been  such  that  he  could  not  be  in  the  company  of  the  good,  then  also, 
he  wishes  to  remove  from  them,  and  this  even  until  he  associates  him- 
self with  such  as  aaree  altogether  with  his  life  in  the  world,  with  whom 
he  finds  his  own  life."— Jf.  ^-  //.  450. 

Such  is  the  statement.  It  remains  for  the  rational 
mind  to  judge  whether  tlie  munificence  of  the  Divine 
mercy,  through  the  aifections  of  the  angels,  cannot  afford 
thus  to  welcome  the  new  comers,  whatever  their  charac- 
ter, into  the  world  of  spirits,  leaving  it  to  the  workings 
of  their  spiritual  affinities  to  determine  their  final  allot- 
ment. Does  our  author  more  than  merely  utter  the 
voice  of  an  obvious  philosophy  when  he  affirms  it  to 
be  the  constant  law  of  the  spiritual  world  that  like  seeks 
its  like,  the  good  always  being  drawn  to  the  society  of 
the  good,  and  the  evil  to  that  of  the  evil  ?  The  above 
statement  is  merely  an  exemplification  of  the  above  law. 

YI.  According  to  Swedenborg's  exhibition  of  the  nature 
of  infernal  woe,  remorse  of  conscience  forms  no  part  of 
it.  The  reason  is,  that  conscience  with  the  wicked  in 
hell  has  become  extinct.  Every  one  knows  that  the  ten- 
dency of  sin  and  crime  is  to  blunt  and  deaden  the  moral 
sense.  A  pirate  feels  less  and  less  compunction  with 
every  murder  he  commits,  till  at  last  he  becomes  callous 
to'  remorseless  stings.  As  every  successive  act  of  vio- 
lence thus  done  to  the  conscience  tends,  in  the  present 
life,  to  the  destruction  of  the  principle  itself,  we  see 
not  but  that  it  must  finally  become  extinct  in  the  other. 
This  is  not  disproved  by  the  fact  that  conscience,  as  is 
said,  sometimes  awakens  in  this  world  after  being  long 
dormant,  and  causes  inefiable  agony.  This  is  because 
the  terrific  future  is  not  yet  fully  realized ;  for  when  the 
emotion  is  analyzed,  what  is  termed  remorse  has  as  much 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  355 


relation  to  tlie  future  as  to  the  past.  It  is  "  a  certain 
fearful  looking  for  of  judgment,"  as  well  as  a  painful 
and  corroding  retrospect  of  deeds  of  evil  done.  It  is 
scarcely  possible  to  conceive  of  remorse  separate  from 
the  fear  of  punishment,  without  regarding  it  as  implying 
a  real  sorrow  for  sin,  which  cannot  of  course  exist  but  in 
connexion  witli  the  workings  of  a  true  love  to  God  and 
goodness.  But  no  principle  of  this  nature  can  pertain  to 
the  wicked  in  hell.  Evil  is  their  element,  their  life,  and 
how  can  they  feel  remorse  for  wrong  when  tliey  do  not, 
in  their  conscionsness,  recognize  wrong?  The  very 
groundwork  of  remorse  is  wanting  within  them,  because 
they  have  utterly  extinguished  conscience.  They  hnow^ 
of  course,  that  they  are  not  what  they  are  not ;  and  they 
know  that  they  are  devils  and  not  angels  ;  but  they  can- 
not feel  any  regret  on  this  account,  inasmuch  as  they  are  in 
their  ruling  love,  and  are  borne  onwards  by  its  power,  so 
that  they  can  no  more  desire  a  state  of  soul  opposite  to 
that  in  which  they  are,  than  a  bodj^  can  reverse  its  motion 
on  the  bosom  of  the  flowing  stream,  and  float  upwards 
against  the  current.  As  to  certain  expressions  in  the 
Scriptures  usually  interpreted  to  denote  the  torment  of 
an  anguished  conscience  in  the  other  life,  such  as  "  the 
worm  that  dieth  not,"  "  the  fire  that  is  not  quenched," 
&c.,  they  undoubtedly  imply  misery,  but  not  this  pre- 
cise form  of  misery,  for  the  sense  of  the  inspired  letter, 
or  even  of  figures,  cannot  stand  against  the  absolute  truth 
of  things.  We  conceive  that  man's  nature  is  psycholo- 
gically such  that  a  course  of  sin  gradually  destroys  the 
conscience,  and  consequently  that  the  sinner  must  finally 
reach  the  point  where  he  becomes  inaccessible  to  the  act- 
ings of  remorse.  It  is  probably  seldom  that  this  point 
is  reached  in  the  present  life,  but  in  hell  we  see  not  but 
it  must  be,  and  when  it  is,  remorse  must  be  unknown, 
except  so  far  as  it  is  identical  with  fear. 

VII.  From  what  has  been  said  above,  the  inference  is 
easily  drawn,  that  hell  is  not,  as  the  prevalent  opinion 
holds,  a  state  of  uninterrupted  and  iinmitigated  suffer- 
ing.   As  heaven  is  perhaps  usually  regarded  as  an  end- 


356 


THE  NEW  CHTJECn  SYSTEM 


less  extacy  of  joy,  so  hell  is  looked  upon  as  an  eternal 
paroxysm  of  anguish — both  of  which  are  conditions  in- 
consistent with  the  collected  exercise  of  thought,  and  the 
free  display  of  character.  The  pains  of  i)erdition  are 
often  set  forth  under  representations  drawn  from  the 
most  excruciating  tortures  which  the  body  can  endure 
on  earth.  They  are  resembled  to  the  effects  of  material 
fire  acting  without  cessation  on  the  sensibilities  of  the 
corporeal  structure.  Indeed,  as  the  current  views  of  in- 
fernal misery  are  for  the  most  part  closely  connected 
with  the  belief  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  laid 
aside  at  death,  so  the  sufierings  conceived  of  are  virtual- 
ly physical  sufferings  wrought  up  to  the  highest  possible 
degree  of  intensity.  But  if  the  torments  of  the  pit  are 
of  this  description,  how  can  tlie  soul  go  forth  in  the  ex- 
cogitation and  commission  of  that  transcendent  wicked- 
ness which  is  at  the  same  time  predicated  of  the  spirits 
of  hell  ?  Can  a  man  thinJc  whose  body  is  consuming  by 
a  slow  fire,  or  whose  joints  are  breaking  on  the  wheel  ? 
Is  not  his  whole  being  concentrated  in  one  intense  burn- 
ing sensation  of  overwhelming  pain?  Is  this  a  state 
compatible  with  the  machinations  of  evil  ?  Can  schemes 
of  iniquity  be  devised  or  executed  in  this  condition? 
Could  the  devils  in  hell  carry  on  their  concerted  plans  of 
temptation,  of  which  men  are  the  objects,  if  they  were 
at  the  same  time  racked  and  tortured  by  such  inefiable 
pangs,  and  drinking  to  the  dregs  the  cup  of  divine 
wrath  perpetually  held  to  their  lips  ?  The  slightest  re- 
flection will  evince  a  conflict  between  the  states  of  pas- 
sive suffering^  and  active  iniquity,  usually  predicated  of 
the  fearful  lot  of  the  lost.  The  one  must  inevitably 
swallow  up  the  other.  But  surely  we  must  conceive  of 
hell  as  a  state  in  which  the  soul  is  in  a  siifiicient  degree 
of  freedom  to  act  out  its  dominant  impulses.  It  is  then 
in  its  peculiar  and  controlling  loves,  and  these  loves  will 
seek  expression,  and  in  order  to  this  it  must  possess  a 
liberty  of  action  which  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  if  it 
has  never  the  least  intermission  from  the  most  agonizing 
torture. 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.' 


357 


The  truth  must  bo  adinitted,  that  the  ideas  of  most 
Christians  on  this  subject  are  singularly  gross  and  sensu- 
ous, from  being  governed  so  much  by  the  simple  import 
of  the  letter  of  the  Word.  Because  inention  is  frequent- 
ly made  of  fire  in  connection  with  infernal  woes,  the  be- 
lief has  taken  root  that  something  of  this  nature  is  the 
veritable  source  of  the  unknown  anguish  that  torments 
the  damned.  But  let  the  nature  of  man  and  the  nature 
of  God  be  duly  pondered,  and  we  shall  see  the  intrinsic 
truth  of  what  Swedenborg  affirms  on  this  head.  The 
fire  of  hell  is,  in  fact,  when  traced  to  its  primal  origin, 
the  very  same  principle  with  that  which  constitutes  the 
essential  bliss  of  heaven.  It  is  the  outflowing  of  the 
divine  Love  of  the  Lord,  but  modified  and  perverted  by 
the  internal  quality  of  the  recipient  subjects.  Our 
author  speaks  thus  on  the  subject : 

"■  Fire,  in  the  supreme  sense,  signifies  the  divine  love  of  the  Lord. 
The  reason  of  this  signification  of  fire  is,  because  the  Lord  from  Lis  di- 
vine love,  appears  in  the  angelic  heaven  as  a  sun,  from  which  sun  heat 
and  light  proceed  ;  and  in  the  lieavens  the  heat  from  the  Lord  as  a 
sun  is  the  divine  truth  ;  hence  it  is  that  fire  in  the  Word  signifies  the 
good  of  love,  and  light  the  truth  from  good.  It  is  from  the  corres- 
pondence of  fire  and  love,  that,  in  common  discourse,  when  speaking  of 
the  affections  of  love,  we  use  the  expressions,  to  grow  warm  to  be  in- 
flamed, to  burn,  to  grow  hot,  to  be  on  fire,  and  others  of  a  like  nature. 
Moreover,  man  grows  warm  from  his  love,  of  whatever  kind  it  is,  ac- 
cording to  the  degree  of  it." — A.  C.  951. 

"  So  far  concerning  the  signification  of  fire  in  the  Word  when  it  is 
attributed  to  the  Lord,  and  whon  it  is  predicated  of  heaven  and  the 
church.  On  tlie  other  hand,  wlien  fire  in  the  Word  is  predicated  of 
the  evil  and  of  the  hells,  it  then  signifies  the  love  of  self  and  of  the 
world,  and  thence  every  evil  affection  and  cupidity  which  torments  the 
wicked  after  death  in  hell.  The  reason  of  this  opposite  signification 
of  fire  is,  because  the  divine  love  when  it  descends  out  of  heaven,  and 
falls  into  the  societies  where  the  evil  are,  is  turned  into  a  contrary  love, 
and  thence  into  various  burning  concupiscences  and  cupidities,  and 
thus  into  evils  of  every  kind  ;  and  inasmuch  as  evils  carry  with  them 
their  own  punishments,  hence  arise  their  torments.  From  this  conver- 
sion of  the  divine  love  into  infernal  love  with  the  evil,  the  hells,  where 
the  love  of  self  and  the  world,  and  thence  hatreds  and  revenge,  have 
rule,  appear  as  in  a  flaming  fire,  both  within  and  round  about,  although 
no  fire  is  perceived  by  the  diabolic  crew  who  are  in  them.  From  these 
31* 


358 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


loves  also  Ibe  diabolic  crew  themselves,  who  are  iu  such  hells,  appear 
with  their  faces  inflamed  and  reddening  as  from  fire." — A.  E.  504. 

This  view  excludes  the  gross  material  conception  of 
literal  fire  while  it  retains  all  that  is  calculated  to  give 
force  and  pungency  to  the  inspired  descriptions  of  infer- 
nal torment.  If  that  view  be  rejected,  what  is  that 
which  is  to  stand  iu  its  place  ? 

VIII.  Passing  from  the  scenery  of  Hell  to  that  of 
Heaven,  we  meet  with  the  apparently  anomalous  state- 
ment, that  Heaven  is  arranged  into  a  countless  number 
of  societies,  and  that  these  exist  collectively  in  the  form 
of  a  Grand  Man.  The  grand  idea  involved  in  this  an- 
nouncement is  one  which  we  think  would  never  have  oc- 
curred except  to  a  mind  that  had  been  favored  with  a 
supernatural  insight  into  that  world  which  is  so  replete 
with  divine  wonders.  But  let  us  look  for  a  moment  at 
the  rationale  of  the  statement. 

It  is  unc|uestIonablc,  that  in  point  of  lact  the  members 
of  every  social  body  do  constitute  a  unity  which  may 
properl}^  be  termed  liuuian.  E\ery  individual  has  a 
certain  definite  relation  to  tlie  whole.  Tlie  action  of  the 
Avhole  is  the  joint  action  of  all  the  parts,  and  the  identity 
of  the  whole  is  the  identity  of  the  parts  ;  and  so  far  as 
a  man  is  truly  a  man,  in  his  individual  cajvacity,  so  far  he 
imparts  his  humanity  to  the  formation  ol"  the  humanity 
of  the  whole.  The  case  is  the  same  as  in  that  of  the 
Imman  body,  in  which  every  tiling,  even  the  minutest 
particle,  conspires  to  the  general  function  of  the  whole. 
Indeed,  the  sublime  philosophy  of  Swedenborg  presents 
this  as  the  great  law  of  all  aggregate  organized  forms  in 
the  imiverse.  They  are  made  up  of  correspondent 
leasts.  The  tongue  is  composed  of  an  infinity  of  little 
tongues — the  liver  of  little  livers — the  stomach  of  little 
stomachs — and  so  throughout.  Thus,  too,  in  crystalliza- 
tions ;  every  larger  mass,  of  whatever  form,  whether 
triangular,  hexagonal,  or  cylindrical,  is  found  to  be  com- 
l^osed  of  countless  smaller  parts  of  precisely  the  same 
figure. 

Let  this  principle  be  applied  to  the  constitution  of 


REFER^LE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  359 


heaven.  Man  is  a  man  rather  from  his  internal  than  his 
external.  He  is  social  from  his  internal  attributes  still 
more  than  from  his  external;  and  as  it  is  the  internal 
part  of  his  being  which  survives  death,  he  enters  the 
spiritual  world  in  the  full  exercise  of  all  the  leading  pro- 
perties and  propensities  of  his  nature.  He  finds  himself 
there,  as  liere,  in  association.  Without  losing  his  indi- 
viduality, his  life  is  merged  in  the  general  life  of  the 
whole,  and  the  very  same  intellectual  laws  which  go  in 
the  present  world  to  construct  a  collective  unity  from 
the  individual  parts,  operate  there  also  with  equal  force. 
Moral  and  mental  affinities  draw  into  unison  those  spirits 
whose  distinguishing  characteristics  adapt  them  to  re- 
present respectively  the  several  grand  functions  of  the 
human  economy.  Those  who  are  dominantly  in  intelli- 
gence and  wisdom  naturally  correspond  to  the  head, 
those  who  are  in  affection  to  the  heart,  those  who  are  in 
keen  perceptions  to  the  senses,  and  so  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  the  structure.  There  is  obviously  no 
reason  why,  if  one  part  of  the  human  system  should  be 
thus  represented,  the  whole  should  not  be.  And  how 
does  this  differ  in  essential  verity  from  the  teaching  of 
the  Apostle,  Eph.  iv.  16,  "  From  whom  the  whole  body 
fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every 
joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the 
measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto 
the  edifying  itself  in  love."  And  again.  Col.  ii.  19, 
"  Not  holding  the  head,  from  which  all  the  body  by 
joints  and  bands  having  nourishment  ministered  and  knit 
together  increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God."  Here  is 
the  recognition  of  the  church  in  the  human  form^  but 
certainly  not  in  the  human  shape.  The  spiritual  idea  is 
easily  attached  to  the  words,  and  we  have  only  to  carry 
this  idea  to  the  celestial  sphere  in  order  to  conceive 
somewhat  correctly  of  the  Grand  Man  of  heaven.  It  is 
a  view  of  the  subject  which  arises  necessarily  from  the 
fact  that  man  exists  as  a  man  in  tlie  other  world,  and 
that  by  the  very  law  of  his  being  he  cannot  but  exist  as 
a  part  of  a  great  whole,  and  in  a  definite  relation  to  that 


360 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


whole.  Every  individual  man  in  lieaven  is  to  the  collec- 
tive humanity  there  assembled  what  every  distinct  part 
or  particle  of  the  human  body  is  to  the  entire,  corporeity. 
As  every  organized  social  body  in  the  present  world  is 
inevitably  wrought  into  a  human  form,  in  the  sense 
above  explained,  so  from  the  same  cause  the  same  effect 
results  in  the  world  of  souls.  It  cannot  possibly  be 
otherwise,  unless  the  distinctive  properties  of  man  as 
man  are  destroyed  by  death  ;  and  he  that  supposes  this, 
must  of  necessity  suppose  that  God  makes  playthings  of 
the  highest  attributes  of  the  highest  creature  in  this  sub- 
lunary sphere.  Towards  this  conceit  we  have  neither 
fellowship  nor  toleration.  We  believe  that  God  created 
man  for  eternal  ends,  and  that  this  purpose  can  only  be 
attained  by  preserving  inviolate  the  grand  distinguishing 
laws  of  his  intellectual  and  moral  nature. 

We  may  presume,  then,  that  a  sufficient  ground  for 
the  main  asserted  fact  of  the  present  disclosure  has  been 
laid  in  the  considerations  above  adduced.  The  universal 
heaven  exists  in  the  interior  form  of  a  Grand  Man,  be- 
cause it  is  composed  of  a  countless  multitude  of  indivi- 
dual men,  each  of  whom,  from  the  very  necessities  of 
his  being,  is  a  constituent  part  of  a  stupendous  whole, 
from  the  life  of  which  his  own  cannot  by  any  possibility 
be  sundered  without  its  instant  extinction.  The  vital 
conjunction  of  every  individual  spirit  with  the  totality  of 
spiritual  existence,  is  as  indispensable  as  the  vital  con- 
junction of  every  particle  of  tlie  human  body  with  the 
whole.  We  may  approach  to  a  conviction  of  this  by 
the  bare  effect  of  imagining  ourselves  for  a  moment  to 
be  utterly  dissevered  from  all  extraneous  being.  The 
very  conception  is  anguish  ;  and  even  the  thought  of 
being  hut  one  in  the  universe  with  God,  though  at  peace 
with  him,  brings  with  it  a  feeling  of  ineffable  diminution 
of  bliss.  What  a  single  drop  of  water  would  be  with- 
out the  ocean,  man  would  be  without  a  fellow.  But 
happily  such  conceptions  are  gratuitous.  The  life  of 
creatures  is  inter-pendent.  Each  man  is  "  bound  up  in 
the  bundle  of  life,"  whether  abiding  on  earth  or  in  hea- 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN.  361 


veil.  By  the  law  of  reciprocal  dependence  the  humani- 
ty of  each  must  conspire  to  the  aggregate  humanity  of 
the  whole,  and  for  the  very  same  reason  that  all  the 
separate  parts  of  our  being  here  go  to  constitute  the  in- 
tegrity' of  an  earthly  man,  do  the  separate  portions  of 
the  celestial  humanity  go  to  constitute  the  integrity  of  a 
grand  celestial  man.  For  the  same  reason,  too,  that  we 
each  possess  higher  and  lower  faculties  here,  must  the 
Grand  Man  possess  them  there  also.  As  there  is  a  pro- 
vince of  the  head,  the  heart,  the  members  here,  a  similar 
province  in  each  respect  must  exist  there  also  ;  for  the 
material  structures  in  this  world  are  the  mere  outward 
elaborations  of  internal  plastic  principles,  which  consti- 
tute our  essential  humanity,  and  which  must  equally  con- 
stitute it,  in  its  collective  form,  in  another  world. 

IX.  Finally,  we  may  advert  to  that  peculiar  feature  of 
the  system  which  affirms  that  truth  is  not  necessarily 
perceived  any  more  in  the  other  world  than  it  is  in  this. 
The  perception  of  genuine  truth  is  relative  to  the  moral 
state  of  the  percipient.  Such  truth  must  shine  into  the 
soul  by  its  own  light,  and  the  Lord  never  forces  it  upon 
any  one.  How  common  the  idea  that  the  soul  passes  at 
death  into  the  region  of  unclouded  light,  and  that  what 
men  refuse  to  see  and  believe  in  this  world  they  will  be 
compelled  to  see  and  believe  in  the  next.  Consequently 
all  the  different  classes  of  religionists  are  confident  each 
one  that  all  others  will  in  that  world  z<dvs\Q  per  force  into 
their  views.  The  Baptist  has  no  doubt  that  all  will  be 
Baptists  there;  the  Presbyterian  that  all  will  be  Presby- 
terians ;  the  Episcopalian,  that  all  will  be  Episcopalians, 
and  so  of  all  the  rest.  The  man  of  the  New  Church, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  taught  directly  the  reverse.  He 
has  no  expectation  that  all  will  be  Newchurchmen  there, 
although  he  is  perfectly  assured  of  the  truth  and  divi- 
nity of  the  system.  He  is  instructed  that  a  man  does  not 
see  what  he  does  not  love  to  see.  His  love  principle 
governs  the  actings  of  his  intellect,  and  he  is  taught  that 
a  man  may  be  so  immoveably  confirmed  in  evil  and  fal- 
sity, as  morally  to  incapacitate  him  from  ever  appre- 


362 


THK  KEW  CHUKCH  SYSTEM 


bending  the  truth.  If  therefore  the  stickler  for  the  old 
theology  of  Christendom  remains  to  the  last  rooted  and 
grounded  in  the  firm  belief  of  his  favorite  dogmas,  we 
cannot  give  ourselves  the  consolation  of  hoping  for  an 
auspicious  change  in  the  world  to  come.  As  the  tree 
falleth  so  it  will  lie.  Tliere  are  doubtless  those — we 
trust  not  a  few — whose  objections  to  the  ISTew  Church 
teachings  are  so  superficial  and  superable,  who  are  so  far 
in  the  good  of  life  and  the  affection  of  truth  that  when 
the  sublime  verities  of  the  New  Dispensation  come  in  full 
contact  with  their  intelligence,  they  will  feel  the  force  of 
the  attraction,  and  will  not  fail  to  embrace  them  ;  for  all 
pure  good  is  destined  in  the  end  to  come  into  conjunc- 
tion with  its  appropriate  truth.  Not  so  those  who  are 
fixed  in  the  rejection  of  these  doctrines.  The  paramount 
law  will  assert  itself  Neither  man,  spirit,  nor  angel 
will  believe  one  way  while  his  ruling  love  draws  hun 
another.  The  love  of  good  is  the  basis  of  the  perception 
of  truth,  and  the  love  of  good  cannot  consist  with  that 
love  of  self  and  that  spirit  of  self-derived  intelligence 
which  prevents  a  man  from  allowing  the  possibility  of 
advancing  to  higher  conceptions  of  theological  truth 
than  he  has  already  attained. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  specify  a  number  of  the 
leading  characteristic  features  of  Swedenboi-g's  teachings, 
in  order  to  afford  to  our  readers  an  opportunity  of  judg- 
ing how  far  it  is  probable  that  any  human  mind,  of  its 
own  promptings  and  from  the  resources  of  its  own  reason 
or  sagacity,  would  ever  have  devised  them.  Are  not 
the  probabilities  a  thousand  to  one  against  such  a  sup- 
position ?  That  they  are  views  which  are  altogether  for- 
eign and  remote  from  the  ordinary  course  of  thought  upon 
religious  topics — that  many  of  them  are  of  a  character 
somewhat  to  outrage,  in  the  first  instance,  our  settled 
convictions — will  be  readily  admitted  ;  and  if  we  were 
shut  up  exclusively  to  these  phases  of  the  system  we  should 
no  doubt  reject  it  at  once.  But  then  on  the  other  hand 
it  is  certain  that  when  more  closely  examined,  analyzed, 
and  scanned,  these  professed  revelations  of  doctrine  and 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


363 


fact  assume  a  new  aspect  and  possess  themselves  of  the 
approval  of  the  reflecting  reason.  Thej  stand  out  before 
the  mind  as  more  and  more  worthy  the  divine  source  in 
which  they  profess  to  originate.  They  therefore  leave  us 
in  the  dilemma,  that  if  they  were  not  actually  imparted 
to  Swedenborg  by  a  revelation  from  heaven,  but  were 
the  fruit  of  his  own  cogitations,  we  have  the  phenomenon 
of  a  genius  that  soars  immeasurably  above  and  beyond 
any  known  standard  of  human  ability.  As  much  as  you 
take  away  from  his  authority  as  a  divine  messenger  you 
place  to  his  account  as  an  unrivalled  man,  one  before 
whose  transcendent  powers  all  the  larger  and  lesser  lights 
of  the  intellectual  firmament  "  pale  their  ineffectual  fires," 
like  the  receding  stars  before  the  advancing  sun. 

And  now  in  view  of  all  that  has  been  offered  may.  we 
not  justly  reverse  the  tenor  of  the  question  which  we  pro- 
posed in  the  outset  to  answer,  and  put  it  thus  :  "  What 
reasons  are  there  for  ?j<3^  believing  that  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg was  invested  with  a  divine  commission  ?"  For  sure- 
ly the  onus  of  the  argument  lies  on  the  side  of  the  doubters 
or  deniers.  What  valid  plea  can  any  one  adduce  to  just- 
ify himself  in  the  rejection  of  a  system  which  comes  to 
him  fortified  by  such  a  vast  amount  of  corroborative  testi- 
mony ?  Can  any  one  say  what  is  wanting,  on  the  score  of 
evidence,  which  shall  certify  a  divine  revelation  to  man  ? 
Does  it  not  satisfy  the  head  and  the  heart  ?  Does  it  not 
come  up  to  the  requisitions  of  a  system  of  which  it  is  said, 
"  Behold,  I  make  all  things  new  !" 

Is  it  not  so  ?  You  go  into  a  New  Church  place  of  wor- 
ship, and  how  new  is  everything  that  accosts  your  hearing ! 
The  Scriptures  exhibit  a  new  character,  for  no  sooner  is 
the  Word  ojiened  for  exposition,  than  you  are  invited  to 
the  consideration  not  of  the  letter  but  of  the  spirit.  Every 
thing  relative  to  the  text  and  the  application  made  of  it 
is  totally  unlike  that  which  you  will  hear  in  any  other 
church  in  Christenj^om.  The  very  dialect  in  which  the 
preacher  utters  himself  is  in  a  measure  new^  and  although 
the  terms  when  understood  are  seen  to  be  altogether  ap- 
propriate and  expressive,  yet  at  first  blush  they  strike  the 


364 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


stranger  strangely.  He  feels  that  he  has,  as  it  were,  a 
new  nomenclature  to  learn  when  such  terms  salute  his  ears 
as  the  sens^ial,  the  rational^  the  Divine,  as  epithets  with- 
out a  substantive ;  tJie  heavens  and  the  hells,  in  the  plu- 
ral;  ihQ  j>ro2yrixim,falses,  the  internal,  and  the  external 
man,  the  Lord  incessantly  instead  of  iSrod  or  Christ,  the 
Word  instead  of  the  Bihle  or  the  Scriptures,  influx  in- 
stead  of  influence,  and  the  perpetual  recurrence  of  ^ootZnm 
and  truth,  will  and  understanding,  and  other  like  pecu- 
liarities, which  might  appear  perhaps  as  affectations,  but 
which  in  fact  are  every  one  of  them  justified  by  a  suffi- 
cient reason  when  the  rationale  of  their  use  is  inquired  into. 
All  this  is  but  an  element  in  that  universal  renovation 
which  characterizes  the  New  Church.  The  new  wine  has 
to  be  put  into  new  vessels.  The  old  forms  of  thought,  sus- 
tained by  the  old  modes  of  diction,  are  not  adequately 
receptive  of  the  new  ideas  which  are  flowing  down  from 
heaven  in  connection  with  the  dispensation  of  the  New 
Jerusalem. 

This  feature  of  the  system,  together  with  its  profoundly 
philosophical  character,  and  the  large  draft  which  it  makes 
upon  the  reflection  of  the  reader,  may  easily  lead,  as  it 
often  has  done,  to  the  impression  that  the  doctrines  are 
not  lucid  and  intelligible  to  the  ordinary  mind— that  they 
are  abstruse  and  obscure,  and  can  never  be  so  brought 
down  to  the  level  of  the  common  apprehension,  as  to  be- 
come accessible  to  the  masses  ;  but  that  they  must,  from  the 
necessity  of  the  case,  be  confined  to  the  more  cultivated 
and  intellectual  classes,  or  to  the  wealthy  who  can  com- 
mand leisure  to  embark  in  the  study  of  spiritual  or  meta- 
physical arcana.  This  impression,  however,  we  are  obli- 
ged to  set  down  among  other  popular  errors  and  delu- 
sions in  regard  to  the  New  Church  and  its  accredited 
teachings.  In  point  of  fact  there  are  no  tenets  so  simple, 
so  easily  grasped,  so  wholly  accommodated  to  ready  re- 
ception, as  those  of  the  New  Churoii  when  viewed  in 
their  intrinsic  nature,  and  there  is  some  evidence  of  this 
in  the  fact,  that  the  great  majority  of  past  and  present 
receivers  have  not  been  persons  of  the  highest  order  of 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


365 


intellect  or  of  extraordinary  mental  culture,  but  rather  of 
plain,  sound,  substantial  sense,  united  with  a  certain 
honest,  upright,  truth-loving  spirit,  which  is  evermore  the 
most  favorable  soil  for  the  growth  of  Wew  Church  princi- 
ples. Yet  these  persons  have  not  found  it  at  all  a  stu- 
pendous achievement  to  master  the  distinguishing  doc- 
trines of  Swedenborg. 

But  apart  from  this  we  may  remark,  that  the  alleged 
difficulty  of  comprehending  the  doctrines  of  the  Kew 
Jerusalem,  arises  not  from  their  intrinsic  obscurity,  but 
from  the  mass  of  falsities  and  fallacies  with  which  the 
minds  of  readers  have  been  lumbered  under  former  teach- 
ings, and  which  are  so  alien  from  the  genuine  simplicity 
of  truth  as  almost  totally  to  obstruct  its  entrance.  Just 
remove  the  accumulations  of  theological  rubbish  which 
have  formerly  occupied  the  mind,  and  the  pure  truth  of 
heaven,  as  imparted  through  the  New  Church,  will  find 
a  comparatively  easy  access  to  the  understanding,  and  be 
seen  to  accord  most  harmoniously  with  its  intuitions  and 
judgments. 

And  why  should  it  not  ?  "What  can  be  more  plain  and 
simple  than  its  elementary  teachings  ?  The  system  has 
indeed  its  strong  meat  for  grown  men,  but  it  has  also  its 
milk  for  babes.  It  has  its  "  fathomless  depths  where  the 
elephant  can  swim,  and  its  shoals  where  the  lamb  can 
wade."  And  should  not  such  be  the  character  of  a  body 
of  doctrine  emanating  from  heaven  ?  Is  not  this  the  char- 
acter of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  embodying  an  acknowl- 
edged revelation  from  Jehovah  ?  We  do  not  indeed  put 
the  two  revelations  upon  a  par,  but  they  may  properly 
be  compared  in  this  particular  respect. 

You  say  the  teachings  imparted  by  Swedenborg  are  not 
easy  to  be  understood — that  they  are  mystical,  recondite, 
transcendental.  Let  us  bring  it  to  the  test.  Do  you  be- 
lieve there  is  a  real,  radical,  and  all-important  difference 
between  right  and  wrong  ?  Certainly,  is  your  reply.  Do 
you  know  by  conscious  perception  when  you  have  done 
wrong  ?  Certainly,  Do  you  not  feel,  in  all  such  cases, 
that  you  migJtt  have  abstained  from  doing  the  acknowl- 
32 


366 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  SYSTEM 


edged  wrong  ?  Undoubtedly.  Suppose  you  had  abstained 
from  doing  wrong  in  any  given  number  of  cases,  do  you 
not  see  reason  to  believe  that  the  contrary  habit  of  doing 
right  would  have  been  more  and  more  strengthened  and 
established  ?  I  see  no  ground  to  question  it.  Well,  if 
good  action  strengthen  good  principle,  is  it  not  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  more  reall}^  and  deeply  any  one  is  prin- 
cipled in  good,  the  good  of  affection  and  of  action,  the 
more  clear,  distinct,  and  luminous  will  be  his  perceptions 
of  truth,  and  the  more  immersed  any  one  is  in  evil,  the 
more  prone  Will  he  be  to  adopt  falsity  instead  of  truth  ? 
Of  this  again  I  see  no  ground  to  doubt.  "What  is  more 
obvious,  then,  than  the  close  and  indissoluble  connection 
between  goodness  and  truth,  whose  interrelations  hold 
such  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  system  ?  But  if  any  one 
can  grasp  the  obvious  distinction,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
manifold  relation,  of  these  two  principles,  he  has  obtained 
a  key  to  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  considered  as 
a  practical  system ;  and  is  this  so  very  difficult  ?  Does 
it  require  any  remarkable  power  of  discernment  to  per- 
ceive that  the  will-principle  having  relation  to  good  is 
one  thing,  and  the  understanding-principle  having  rela- 
tion to  truth  is  another?  And  then  as  to  their  relation, 
does  it  require  the  mind  of  a  philosopher  to  see  from  the 
relation  of  the  two,  that  just  in  proportion  as  one  is  im- 
bued with  good  he  will  make  progress  in  truth,  and  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  as  one  is  enslaved  to  evil,  he  will  be 
sure  to  adopt  falsity  instead  of  truth  ?  Thus  it  is  that 
the  sublime  philosophy  of  the  New  Church  will  gradually 
unfold  itself,  even  to  the  simple  minded,  while  the  learn- 
ed, the  mighty,  and  the  noble  of  the  earth  will  be  sure 
to  miss  its  essential  meaning,  if  they  do  not  pass  it  by  with 
a  supercilious  contempt,  as  unworthy  the  notice  of  liberal 
and  enlightened  minds. 

We  venture,  then,  to  assure  our  fellow-men,  that  the 
difficulty  complained  of  in  regard  to  the  obscure  and  in- 
comprehensible character  of  the  New  Church  doctrines 
is  purely  imaginary.  All  that  is  requisite  is  that  he  who 
comes  to  the  perusal  of  the  writings  should  come  under 


REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 


367 


the  proinpting  of  a  candid,  honest,  and  truth-loving  spirit, 
and  that  he  should  pursue  somewhat  of  an  orderly  course 
in  his  reading,  by  commencing  with  the  works  of  a  inore 
simple  character,  and  proceeding  onward  to  those  that 
are  more  abstruse.  One  who  should  open  the  elements 
of  Euclid  at  the  47th  Proposition,  or  at  the  3rd  Book, 
might  easily  object  that  it  was  all  jargon  to  him ;  but 
let  him  begin  with  the  axioms,  and  proceed  in  an  orderly 
manner  from  one  step  to  another  through  the  series  of  de- 
monstrations, and  he  will  find  it  opening  before  him  with 
the  most  delightful  lucidness,  and  conducting  him  into 
the  interior  recesses  of  the  temple  of  Geometry.  So  the 
words  of  the  ISTew  Dispensation  are  like  the  words  of  wis- 
dom in  Solomon,  "  plain  to  him  that  understandeth  and 
right  to  him  that  findeth  knowledge." 

We  have  but  a  brief  word  to  utter  in  conclusion.  We 
have  endeavored  to  set  forth,  in  a  feeble  way,  the  claims 
of  a  system  of  religious  doctrine  professedly  emanating 
from  the  Lord  himself,  and  therefore,  if  those  claims  are 
well-founded,  worthy  of  all  acceptation.  We  are  confi- 
dent of  addressing  numbers  who  cherish  the  most  profound 
respect  for  evevj  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  Lord's 
mouth,  and  who  would  as  soon  submit  to  the  excision  of 
a  right  eye  or  the  amputation  of  a  right  hand,  as  to  turn 
away  from  any  message  that  they  were  assured  bore  the 
signet  of  the  King  of  kings.  To  minds  of  this  stamp — 
minds  pervaded  by  these  sentiments  of  unfeigned  rev- 
erence for  divine  oracles,  through  whatsoever  medium 
uttered — we  would  urge  the  ajjpeal  involved  in  the  pre- 
sent essay.  Tliey  would  not  consciously  disparage  or  dis- 
regard a  divine  declaration  or  monition.  Is  it  not  possi- 
ble they  may  notwithstanding  do  so,  by  withholding  that 
examination  which  a  mission  like  Swedenborg's  deserves 
at  their  hands  ?  Attestations  of  a  most  striking  character 
will  be  apparent  even  to  a  very  superficial  inspection.  To 
one  of  a  more  thorough -going  and  penetrating  kind,  fea- 
tures which  betoken  a  divine  origin  will  assuredly  discov- 
er themselves,  and  how  can  this  but  constitute  an  urgent 
claim  to  investigation  ?    Suppose  the  indications  of  such 


368   THE  N.  C.  SYSTEM  REFERABLE  SOLELY  TO  A  DIVINE  ORIGIN. 

an  origin  have  not  the  constraining  force  of  miracles ;  sup- 
pose the  divine  wisdom  draws  to  the  study  of  these  writ- 
ings with  the  tender  filaments  of  rational  suggestion 
rather  than  with  the  cord  and  cable  of  sensuous  demonstra- 
tion, is  that  a  reason  with  an  ingenuous  mind  why  the  at- 
traction should  be  unavailing  ?  Is  it  not  a  case  where  the 
bare  possibility  of  rejecting  a  divine  message  ought  to 
inspire  the  most  solicitous  anxiety  as  to  the  result?  And 
can  we  not  ideally  realize  to  ourselves  the  emotions  of 
intense  regret  that  we  should  experience  upon  finding, 
among  the  grave  disclosures  of  the  future,  that  the  doc- 
trines announced  to  the  world  by  the  Swedish  Seer  were 
indeed  the  very  truth  of  heaven — the  theme  of  angelic  pon- 
dering— the  grand  hope  of  a  lapsed  humanity  ?  As,  then, 
we  would  avoid  this  pungent  regret — as  we  would  be  true 
to  our  better  instincts — as  we  would  put  honor  upon  what 
beai's  a  divine  impress — as  we  would  secure  to  ourselves 
the  peerless  and  priceless  blessings  of  a  faith  which  dis- 
pels doubt — satisfies  reason — purifies  life — and  antedates 
heaven,  let  us  bestow  a  candid  and  earnest  consideration 
upon  the  teachings  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 


SWEDENBORG  AND  PAUL. 

[X.  C.  Repos.,  April,  1855.] 

New  York,  February  26th,  1855. 

Prof.  Geo.  Bush, 

Dear  Sir,— How  do  you  reconcile  Swedenborg's  view  of  Esau  as 
denoting  the  "  Good  of  Life"  {A.  C.  3300,  3322,  3336),  with  the  12th 
chap. of  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  v.  16,  where  he  says: — 
"  Lest  there  be  any  fornicator  or  profane  person  as  Esau,  who  for  one 
morsel  of  meat  sold  his  birthright.  For  ye  know  how  that  afterward 
when  he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  rejected,  for  he 
found  no  place  of  repentance  though  besought  it  carefully  with  tears." 
Yours  respectfully, 

A  Student  of  the  Bible. 

REMARKS. 

A  somewhat  closer  inspection  of  what  Swedenborg 
has  taught  respecting  the  representative  function  of  Esau, 
would  doubtless  have  precluded  the  above  inquiry  of 
"A  Student  of  the  Bible."  He  would  have  seen,  we 
think,  that  there  is  no  real  discrepancy  between  him  and 
Paul  requiring  to  be  reconciled.  Swedenborg's  lan- 
guage, it  will  be  observed,  is,  that  "  by  Esau  is  signified 
the  good  of  the  natural  principle,"  that  is  to  say,  Esau 
stands  as  a  representative  of  the  good  of  the  natural 
principle,  as  also  of  "  the  good  of  life,  derived  from  in- 
flux out  of  the  rational  principle ;"  and  this  representa- 
tive character  he  could  sustain,  admitting  all  that  Paul 
says  of  him  to  be  literally  true,  which  of  course  we  do 
not  deny.  The  law  of  representation  is  thus  stated  by 
Swedenborg : 

"  It  is  a  general  law  of  representation,  that  the  person  or  thing 
which  represents  is  not  at  all  reflected  on,  but  only  that  which  is  repre- 
sented. As  for  example  :  Every  king,  whosoever  he  was,  whether  in 
Judah,  or  in  Israel,  or  even  in  Egypt  and  other  places,  might  repre- 
sent the  Lord ;  their  regal  function  itself  is  representative,  whence 
even  the  very  worst  of  kings  might  sustain  this  representation  ;  as 
Pharaoh,  who  exalted  Joseph  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  Nebuchadnezzar 


370 


SWEDENBORG  AND  PAUL. 


in  Babylon  (Dan.  ii.  37,  38),  Saul,  and  other  kings  of  Judah  and  of 
Israel,  of  ■whatsoever  character  they  might  be  :  it  was  involved  in  the 
very  anointing,  by  virtue  of  which  they  were  called  the  anointed  of 
Jehovah.  In  like  manner  all  priests,  how  many  soever  they  were,  re- 
presented the  Lord  ;  the  priestly  office  itself  being  representative, 
whence  even  the  wicked  and  impure  could  sustain  this  representation 
as  well  as  others  ;  because,  in  representatives,  the  quality  of  the  per- 
son representing  is  not  at  all  reflected  on." — A.  C.  1361. 

That  this  is  the  light  in  which  both  Esau  and  Jacob 
are  viewed  in  this  part  of  the  sacred  narrative,  is  ex- 
pressly asserted  by  our  author  in  the  summing  up  of 
their  spiritual  history  :  "  In  order  that  the  circumstances 
related  in  this  chapter  concerning  Esau  and  Jacob  may 
be  apprehended  as  to  what  they  signify  in  the  internal 
sense,  the  thoughts  must  be  removed  entirely  from  the 
historical,  consequently  from  the  persons  of  Esau  and 
Jacob,  and  instead  thereof  must  be  substituted  the  things 
thereby  represented,  viz.,  the  good  of  the  natural  princi- 
ple and  its  truth,  for  names  in  the  internal  sense  of  the 
Word,  signify  nothing  else  but  things.  "When  the  good 
of  the  natural  principle  and  its  truth  are  apprehended 
instead  of  Esau  and  Jacob,  it  then  appears  evident  how 
the  case  is  with  respect  to  man's  regeneration  by  truth 
and  good,  viz.,  that  in  the  beginning  truth  apparently  has 
the  priority,  and  also  superiority  with  him,  although  good 
in  reality  is  prior  and  superior." — A.  C.  3336.  From  this 
it  appears  that  a  rich  spiritual  purport  is  latent  in  the 
literal  narrative,  describing  the  temporary  priority  and 
ascendancy  which  Jacob  gained  over  Esau.  That  spirit- 
ual purport  is,  that  in  the  process  of  regeneration,  although 
good  and  truth  are,  like  twins,  really  conceived  and  born 
together,  yet  there  is  a  struggle  between  them,  and  truth 
for  a  season  obtains  priority  and  gets  the  upper  hand, 
although  eventually  this  order  of  things  is  reversed,  and 
the  elder,  instead  of  serving  the  younger,  receives  an 
acknowledged  dominion  on  the  part  of  the  younger. 
This  is  indicated  by  Isaac's  prophetic  declaration  con- 
cerning Esau, "  Upon  thy  sword  tliou  shalt  live,  and  shalt 
serve  thy  brother,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  thou 
shalt  have  dominion,  thou  shalt  break  his  yoke  from  off 


SWEDENBOEQ  AND  PAUL. 


371 


thy  neck"  (Gen.  xxvii.  40).  This  is  briefly  explained  as 
follows  :  "It  is  to  be  observed  that  man,  before  he  is  re- 
generated {i.  e.  in  the  earlier  stages  of  regeneration), 
does  good  from  a  principle  of  truth,  but  after  he  is  re- 
generated, he  does  good  from  a  principle  of  good  ;  or,  to 
make  it  more  clear,  before  man  is  regenerated,  he  does 
good  from  the  understanding,  but  after  he  is  regenerated, 
he  does  good  from  the  will ;  the  good,  therefore,  which 
is  from  the  understanding,  is  not  in  itself  good,  but  truth, 
whereas  the  good,  which  is  from  the  will,  is  good." — 
A.  a  3295. 

Now  the  purpose  for  which  Paul,  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  alluded  to  the  case  of  Esau,  did  not  require  him 
to  recognize  this  interior  drift  involved  in  the  Mosaic  re- 
cord. His  object  was  to  draw  an  important  practical 
lesson  from  the  literal  recital,  which  he  took  as  he  found 
it,  neither  aflirming  nor  denying  an  ulterior  meaning  in 
the  historian's  words.  So  far  as  the  letter  is  concerned, 
Esau  is  set  before  us  as  an  impatient  or  impulsive  per- 
sonage, who,  under  the  prompting  of  bodily  appetite, 
rashly  bartered  away,  for  a  momentary  gratification,  an 
inestimable  blessing,  of  which  he  shortly  after  repented 
with  unavailing  tears  ;  and  this  example  the  apostle 
would  hold  up  in  terrorem  before  the  eyes  of  those 
who  might  be  tempted  to  a  like  perilous  precipi- 
tancy in  throwing  away  their  hopes  of  eternal  life.  This 
use  of  the  incident  was  perfectly  legitimate,  but  it  mili- 
tates not  at  all  with  that  representative  or  spiritual  im- 
port which  Swedenborg  ascribes  to  it.  It  is  by  no 
means  an  endorsing  of  the  literal  sense  as  the  only  sense 
of  the  narrative.  In  like  manner,  when  he  says,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  "I  fear  lest  by  any  means, 
as  the  serpent  beguiled  Eve  through  his  subtilty,  so 
your  minds  should  be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that 
is  in  Christ,"  we  are  not  authorized  to  regard  his  language 
as  necessitating  the  interpretation  which  supposes  that  a 
literal  earth-creeping  serpent  was  the  real  actor  in  the 
transaction  recorded.  His  drift  in  the  reference  did  not 
call  upon  him  to  pronounce  upon  that  point.    So  when 


372 


SWEDENBOEG  AND  PAUL. 


our  Lord  would  warn  his  disciples  of  the  danger  of 
apostasy,  and  for  that  purpose  says  to  them,  "  Remena- 
ber  Lot's  wife,"  we  are  not  bound  to  suppose  that  he 
would  thereby  sanction  the  idea  of  her  being  transform- 
ed into  a  literal  pillar  of  salt.  The  monition  to  be  ad- 
ministered was  very  properly  deducible  from  the  sense 
of  the  letter  alone. 

There  is,  moreover,  still  less  ground  for  our  correspon- 
dent's intimation  of  a  discrepancy  between  Swedenborg 
and  Paul,  when  we  advert  to  the  fact  of  Esau's  repre- 
sentative character  having  an  opposite  scope  in  certain 
other  relations,  and  denoting  the  evil  of  life,  or  of  self- 
love,  as  we  are  informed  it  occasionally  does.  Thus, "  In 
the  "Word  throughout,  mention  is  made  of  Esau,  and 
also  of  Edom,  and  by  Esau  is  signified  the  good  of  the 
natural  principle ;  but  in  an  opposite  sense,  Esau 
signifies  the  evil  of  selflove,  before  false  principles 
are  so  fully  adjoined  to  that  love  ;  and  Edom  signifies 
the  evil  of  that  love  when  those  false  principles  are  ad- 
joined to  it.  Several  names  in  the  "Word  have  an  oppo- 
site sense  as  has  been  often  shown  above,  by  reason  that 
what  is  good  and  true  in  the  Church,  in  process  of  time 
degenerates  into  what  is  evil  and  false  by  various  adul- 
terations."— A.  C.  3322,  This  explains  the  rationale  in 
the  change  of  representative  import  in  the  same  name, 
so  that  a  striking  analogy  between  the  Esaus  of  the  two 
writers  is  seen  to  exist.  "In  an  opposite  sense,  by  Esau 
and  Edom  are  represented  those  who  turn  away  from 
good,  in  that  they  altogether  despise  truth,  and  are  un- 
willing that  anything  of  truth  should  be  adjoined,  which 
is  owing  principally  to  self-love,  wherefore  in  an  opposite 
sense,  by  Esau  and  Edom  such  persons  are  represented." 
— A.  G.  3322.  Does  not  this  bring  the  two  sufiiciently 
into  parallelism  to  satisfy  the  querist  ?  Is  not  Esau 
enough  of  a  "  profane  person,"  as  here  exhibited  in  his 
representative  character,  to  remove  the  difiiculty  in 
question?  If  our  reply  should  fail  to  satisfy  "A  Stu- 
dent of  the  Bible,"  we  trust  we  may  hear  from  him 
again. 


